Poisoned by Jathropa (Tuba-Tuba) Tree

Tuba-Tuba Plant

Let's go back to the summer of  1992, when my childhood friends were playing hide in our favorite playing ground, in the street near our houses. I got caught early in the game with my friend, so we waited at the home base while the others kept playing. 

Two friends who didn't join the game brought tuba-tuba and had already eaten some. Curious about what they brought, I joined them.  I remembered seeing tuba-tuba before but didn't know it was edible. When I saw some friends eating it, in a slip of a tongue I told them it was edible. I was not really sure about it. Everyone was joining picked tuba-tuba in our neighbor's yard that we thought were fruits.  

We couldn't resist trying them, so my friend picked one of the brown seeds and cracked it open. It looked like peanuts inside, so we both started eating them. We had no idea that those seeds were dangerous.

After a while, some of our friends started feeling dizzy and sick.  I did not vomit because I only ate a few. I felt really guilty and scared. They blamed me for suggesting we ate the seeds.

Luckily, one of the grown-ups told us to drink coconut milk to help get rid of the toxins. It worked, and everyone started feeling better after a while. It was a scary experience, but we learned to be more careful about what we eat.

Even though it was a tough lesson, it taught us to listen to adults and think twice before eating something we're not sure about.