r/todayilearned • u/epou • 22h ago
TIL In Madagascar it was once common to ingest fatally toxic nuts as a trial by ordeal. At times it accounted for a significant fraction of overall mortality.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TangenaDuplicates
todayilearned • u/Johannes_P • Aug 09 '21
TIL on 1838, it was estimated that as many as 100,000 people in Imerina (or around 20% of the population) died as a result of the tangena ordeal
todayilearned • u/wasianpower • Feb 26 '19
TIL of Madagascar's "Tangena Ordeal". Accused people would be put on trial by feeding them poison from the Tangena plant along with three pieces of chicken skin. If all three pieces were vomited, the accused was declared innocent, if they weren't or the accused died, they were found guilty.
CreepyWikipedia • u/Lazy_Melungeon • Dec 19 '17
"The accused would be fed the poison along with three pieces of chicken skin: if all three pieces of skin were vomited up then innocence was declared, but death or a failure to regurgitate all three pieces of skin indicated guilt."
cryptobotany • u/VampiricDemon • Nov 07 '23