Yes, the ‘Suicide Tree’ in White Lotus 3 is real: Once used in witch trials, this Pong Pong fruit can actually ‘kill’ you

In the finale, Jason Isaacs’ character, Timothy Ratliff,  haunted by some pretty dark thoughts all season, makes a dangerous call. He imagines shooting himself… or others. But then he remembers the warning from a hotel staff back in episode one: “Don’t eat the fruit hanging over your villa’s pool — it’s poisonous.” And so he does exactly what he was told not to, he grinds up the Pong Pong seeds in a blender and plans to serve them in the cocktail to his entire family only to chicken out at the last moment. Still, his youngest son, Lochlan, accidentally takes a sip and ends up getting violently ill. Now, the show may be fiction — but the tree? 100% real. And deadly.

“This will lead to high blood potassium, vomiting and heart block, then potentially cardiovascular shock and death,” Dr. Matthew Badgett, a Cleveland Clinic physician told PEOPLE, explaining what happens when someone consumes the pong pong’s toxin.

So what’s inside this pong pong fruit?

The seeds of the pong pong (official name: Cerbera odollam) are packed with a toxin called cerberin, which directly affects your heart. Just one seed, according to the expert, is enough to “kill” a person if left untreated for long. You’ll first feel nausea, vomiting, maybe dizziness, and if enough of the poison hits the system, it can even stop the heart. But, this fruit isn’t some new discovery, people have known about it for centuries. It is commonly found in Southeast Asia, the Pacific islands, and northern Australia.

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According to a 20024 study, these seeds were even used in “witch trials” in Madagascar. The accused were forced to eat the fruit. If they died, they were guilty. If they lived, they were innocent. “This was one of the really ridiculous things people were forced to go through,” said Jing-Ke Weng, a professor of chemistry and chemical biology, speaking to NGN about the practice of “trial by ordeal.” “It usually kills people. Some people survived—not because they were innocent of wrongdoing. They were just a bit luckier, had a slightly smaller dose, or maybe had a metabolism that could detoxify the poison.” Weng told the outlet he was happy to see that White Lotus got the science right.

Could someone really survive it?

According to experts, Yes. But, it depends. If the person throws up fast enough, or if they make it to a hospital in time, doctors can treat you by stablising your heart’s condition. In the finale, Lochlan gets sick right away after a small taste (a little fast, considering symptoms usually kick in after about three hours). “Could he have survived? Sure,” said toxicologist Dr. Mary Wermuth. “It just depends how much he got.” In real life, the antidote is something called digoxin immune fab. But time is key.