Mad Honey – Nature’s Trippy, Toxic Gold

What is mad honey?

Mad honey, also known as red honey, Himalayan red honey, deli hal and rose-of-the-forest honey (orman komar bali), is a red-coloured, bitter tasting honey famous for its hallucinogenic effects.

What makes this honey "mad honey"?

What makes this honey "mad honey" is a group of toxins called grayanotoxins. Grayanotoxins are a group of neurotoxins (which affect the nervous system) that give mad honey its hallucinogenic and other related effects. This toxin is found in the plants of the family Ericaceae such as Rhododendron and Kalmia. While Rhododendron has over 1000 species, only a few species like Rhododendron luteum, R. ponticum, R. flavum and R. simsii contain this toxin.

Where is mad honey found?

Mad honey is found mainly in Nepal and Turkey. It is also found in Georgia and India. Very rarely, it is found in the Appalachian Mountains in the US. Among these places, Nepal produces the most potent mad honey.

Mad honey is produced by bees of the genus Apis that feed on the nectar of Rhododendron and other flowers in the family Ericaceae. The key honey bee species that make this honey are:

• Apis dorsata laboriosa: Also known as the Himalayan giant honey bee, this species is the world's largest honey bee and is responsible for mad honey production in Nepal and some parts of India. The Himalayan giant honey bee can reach a length of up to 3 cm or 1.2 inches.

• Apis dorsata: Apis dorsata is commonly known as the giant honey bee and is responsible for producing mad honey in India. The giant honey bee is the second largest species of honey bee and can measure 1.7-2 cm or 0.7-0.8 inches in length.

• Apis mellifera: Also known as the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera produces mad honey in Turkey and Georgia.

Is all mad honey the same?

Not all mad honey is the same. Some are more potent than others. This is due to the following main reasons:

• Quantity of grayanotoxins: As there are many different species of Rhododendron and other plants in the family Ericaceae, the amount of grayanotoxins they would contain would not be same. The concentration of grayanotoxins differ from species to species.

• Type of grayanotoxins: According to the American Chemical Society, there are at least 25 types of grayanotoxins alone in the species Rhododendron. Out of 25 types, Grayanotoxin I, III and IV are considered the most toxic. Mad honey produced from rhododendron species containing any or all of these three in high amounts would be more potent while the honey produced from rhododendron species with lower amounts of these three but higher concentrations of other grayanotoxins would result in less potent honey.

• Diversity of flora: The more diverse the flora in a particular region, the less potent mad honey might be. This is because if an area has various kinds of plant species, the bees would not exclusively feed on rhododendron flowers as there are multiple other kinds of flowers.

How is mad honey harvested?

Mad honey is harvested similarly to regular honey, but the process is far more difficult and dangerous. In Nepal, the Himalayan giant honeybees make their hives on the sides of high cliffs. Reaching the beehives and harvesting honey from them is a really dangerous task.

The Gurung people of Nepal have been harvesting mad honey for ages now. Before the harvest, they perform a ritual where they sacrifice a rooster which also serves as a meal later. The sacrifice is done to avoid any accidents and misfortunes. After the sacrifice, the person chosen to harvest honey climbs a bamboo ladder that hangs from the top of the cliff. He then harvests the honey while hanging hundreds of feet in the air with the help of a bamboo ladder and without any safety equipment.

Click here to see an informational video showing the process of mad honey harvesting.

Why is mad honey consumed?

Mad honey is consumed because of its possible health benefits and medicinal purposes. Mad honey is used as an aphrodisiac (sexual stimulant) and to treat a variety of conditions such as hypertension, peptic ulcer, dyspepsia, gastritis, indigestion, abdominal pain, arthritis, skin ailments, pain, cold, diabetes and various viral infections. It is either consumed on its own or by mixing it with hot milk.

Mad Honey Poisoning

The recommended dose for mad honey is generally 1 tsp, but its effects vary depending on an individual's biochemistry. 5-30 grams of mad honey is the dosage that can show the effects of poisoning.

Mad honey, when consumed in more than the recommended amounts, causes intoxication and leads to mad honey poisoning. The symptoms generally show within 20 minutes - 3 hours of consumption. The symptoms of mad honey poisoning include hypotension (low blood pressure), heart rhythm disorders, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, blurred vision, double vision, convulsions, impaired consciousness and heart attack. Death from mad honey poisoning is extremely rare, but it can occur in exceptional cases. These symptoms usually go away in 1-2 days.

Historical Records of Poisoning

The history of mad honey poisoning dates back centuries, with records from ancient Greece and beyond. There have been several records of mad honey poisoning from ancient times. Below are 3 cases of mad honey poisoning from ancient times.

• Xenophon of Athens, in his book, wrote about an incident of mad honey poisoning. Xenophon, in 401 BC, was leading an army of the “Ten Thousand” and near Trabzon, Turkey, they consumed honey collected from the nearby beehives. A few hours later, the men began vomiting, had diarrhea, became disoriented and could no longer stand. The effects were gone the next day.

• Many centuries later, in 67 BC, Roman soldiers led by Pompey the Great, in pursuit of King Mithridates VI of Pontus and his army, suffered from mad honey poisoning. The army of King Mithridates left pots filled with mad honey for the Roman army to consume. After the Romans consumed honey and got sick, the Persian army returned to the spot and killed over 1000 men.

• In 946 AD, Olga of Kiev used mead made from mad honey and probably killed 5000 men of Russian troops. The same method of using mad honey mead to kill enemies was also used by Ivan the Great in 1489. He used the mead to slaughter Tatar troops.

Popularity in Other Countries

Mad honey has gained worldwide popularity for its health benefits. Several cases of mad honey poisoning come from countries like China, the Philippines, Korea, Austria, Indonesia, Japan, Germany, Brazil and some parts of North America. Due to the health benefits, South Korea imported 8000 kg of mad honey in the year 2003-04 but its import was banned in 2005.

How to get Mad Honey?

There are two ways to get mad honey – one is to buy direct from the mad honey harvesters of Nepal and Turkey during a visit to these countries and the other way is to buy it online.

Many tourists that go to Nepal or Turkey buy it from local harvesters or shops that sell mad honey. Others opt for a more convenient way and buy it online from certain online stores.

It is important to always do your own research before buying mad honey from anywhere. Make sure it is from a trusted source as not all mad honey is the same.

REFERENCES:

Mad honey: uses, intoxicating/poisoning effects, diagnosis, and treatment - PMC (nih.gov)

Ridiculous History: Ancient Armies Waged War With Hallucinogenic Honey | HowStuffWorks

What It's Like To Take Mad Honey and What To Know Before Doing It (matadornetwork.com)

Grayanotoxin - Wikipedia

"Mad honey": The rare hallucinogen from the mountains of Nepal - Big Think

https://honeyofgeorgia.com/assets/files/Liquid-Gold-of-Georgia.pdf