[3] It is native to South and Southeast Asia, Pacific Islands, and Queensland, Australia,[4] growing preferentially along sandy coasts, riverbanks, and by mangrove swamps.

[5] Cerbera odollam bears a close resemblance to oleander, another highly toxic plant from the same family.

On exposure to air, the white kernel turns violet, then dark grey, and ultimately brown, or black.

These include othalam (ഒതളം) in the Malayalam language used in Kerala, India; kattu arali (காட்டரளி) in the adjacent state of Tamil Nadu; dabur (ডাবুর) in Bengali; famentana, kisopo, samanta or tangena in Madagascar; and pong-pong, buta-buta, bintaro or nyan in Southeast Asia.

[9] The poisonous kernel of the Cerbera odollam fruit was used in trials by ordeal like the tangena throughout the regions where it grew.

In Madagascar in the 18th and 19th centuries, over 3000 people died per year from consuming Cerbera odollam seeds in a trial by ordeal.

[14] Cerberin, the poisonous compound in the kernels of Cerbera odollam, is a cardiac glycoside and, as such, blocks the heart's sodium and potassium ATPase.

[18] Other common symptoms of cerberin poisoning include a burning sensation in the mouth, vomiting, retching, nausea, irregular respiration, headache, coma, and death.

[24] The seeds of C. odollam are used as biopesticides, insect repellants, and rat poisons[25] due to its toxicity to these animals.