A 22-year-old transgender woman died after ingesting "pong pong" seeds, more popularly known online as "suicide seeds." The woman wanted to end her life after being bullied for coming out as a transgender.
Lucia Anderson bought the "suicide seeds" online for a mere $5, an appalling figure considering its lethal effects. Yahoo reported that these seeds are a native of Southeast Asia, scientifically called as the cerbera odollam. These seeds usually go undetected in various toxicology reports, which makes it difficult to determine the number of suicides resulting from ingestion of these seeds. The low number of reports also paves the way for its open circulation online, making it available to unsuspecting people.
These "suicide seeds" can be easily bought online from wholesale websites, which makes it more worrisome for parents, as teenagers who are contemplating of committing suicide, can easily gain access to them. According to the report, these "suicide seeds" can lead to "a prolonged and painful death" as it facilitates a complete heart block within a few hours of ingestion.
Natosha Anderson, Lucia's grieving mother told People that, "[Lucia] had just come out a few months ago as a woman, she was being bullied online after coming out on the [Internet], and it wasn't going the way she thought it would." She also added, "My last words to her were, 'You're going to be fine,' and then I watched my kid die."
According to Natosha, her daughter was on the bathroom floor and vomiting. She initially thought that Lucia was just sick but then, Lucia confessed that she had ingested a pong bean. Natosha also mentioned that it was the first time that she had heard of such a bean.
Natosha now wants parents to be aware of the existence of these "suicide seeds" and that they must also be aware of the condition of their kids. She said, "You feel like you're the closest thing - you think you would see something, but people who are depressed, they have a good way of hiding things."
In the light of the death of Lucia who ingested these pong beans, otherwise known as "suicide seeds," experts are now worried of their availability. Parents should likewise be on the lookout as these seeds can easily be bought online for a measly $5.
