All you need to know about the real ‘suicide fruit' from 'The White Lotus'

The 'suicide fruit' shown in the show The White Lotus is real. The fruit is called othalanga, and its seeds are known to be fatal.

The White Lotus is a dark comedy-drama anthology series that was released in 2021. It features the lives of guests and staff at a luxurious global resort during their stay for a week. It has won numerous awards, including 15 Primetime Emmy awards.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for season 3 of the series.

The show has had three seasons now, with the finale of season 3 releasing on April 6, 2025. The third season mentions a fruit from a tree that can be fatal, and while it's a fictional show, the fruit is indeed real. Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) uses it to make pina coladas to kill his co-characters on the show. However, he fails due to spoilt coconut milk.

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More about the 'suicide fruit' from The White Lotus

The tree that produces this fruit is called Cerbera odollam, also known as the 'suicide tree' or the 'ping-pong tree. ' It produces the fruit named othalanga that has cerberin.

Cerberin is found in places like Southeast Asia, Australia, Hawaii, and the Pacific Islands. It is a cardiac glycoside that can cause death if consumed due to disruption in the cardiac electrical activity in the body. It can cause symptoms like vomiting, nausea, hyperkalemia (dangerously high potassium levels in the blood), thrombocytopenia (a blood clotting issue), and electrocardiogram abnormalities.

The number of seeds used by Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) in the show could have potentially killed four people. However, they were saved due to the spoilt coconut milk.

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Woody Harrelson explains why he had to leave The White Lotus

Popular actor Woody Harrelson recently revealed why he left the popular show. The actor was set to play Frank in The White Lotus. However, after a bit of shooting, he left the show. Harrelson said:

"I was set to do White Lotus and very excited. Unfortunately, their production schedule shifted, and conflicted with a pre-planned family vacation, forcing me to make an extremely hard decision."

Harrelson also heaped praise on Sam Rockwell, who eventually got the role, saying:

"Things must be meant to be though, because I couldn’t have done as fantastic a job as Sam, who is killing it."

Harrelson was also reportedly set to first play Rick Hatchett. However, that role went to Walton Goggins and Harrelson was eventually signed up to play Frank.

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The White Lotus appears set for a location change for season 4

Season 3 of the show has garnered a great response from fans, just like its previous two seasons. Its finale, released on April 6, has generated great buzz, and there is already anticipation for season 4.

Creator Mike White has hinted at a new location for the next season, saying:

"For the fourth season, I want to get a little bit out of the crashing waves of rocks vernacular."

Meanwhile, HBO's Head of Drama, Francesca Orsi, said in another interview:

“I can’t really say where we’re going to land but chances are somewhere in Europe.”

Meanwhile, in yet another interview, producer David Bernad said:

"Mike [White] doesn’t like the cold."

The show has taken place in Hawaii, Sicily and Thailand so far in the first three seasons.

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