MAD HONEY: WILD HONEY WITH PSYCHOACTIVE POWERS
Nature is awesome. Mad Honey's products show that! Mad Honey is special honey made by bees extracting nectar from the flowers of two rhododendron species. These contain a magical psychoactive substance that ends up in the honey. The result: mild hallucinations and a chill feeling.
What is Mad Honey and how is it made?
Mad Honey is freely translated as 'crazy honey'. It is also known as 'hallucinogenic honey' and 'bitter honey'. The latter because of its bitter taste. As you know, honey is produced by bees. These fluffy insects go in search of tasty flowers because they contain nectar. They suck this up, chew on it and so they convert the nectar sugar into fructose and glucose. They then deposit this in those beautiful honeycombs. Incidentally, they also make these themselves, from beeswax. The nectar is very liquid at first, but the bees thicken it into honey with their wings.
Mad Honey comes from two types of flowers: the purple Rhododendron Ponticum and the yellow Rhododendron Luteum. These rhododendron flowers contain the toxic substance grey anotoxin (grayan toxins in English). And that substance is psychoactive.
Mad Honey is often darker in colour, making it easily distinguishable from non-trippy honey.
The effects and history of Mad Honey
There are different types of Mad Honey. At 24high, you can buy Real Mad Honey Nepal and Real Mad Honey Turkey. These are therefore the two places where Mad Honey is made. Here it is used as a trip medicine, but also in traditional and alternative medicine. For instance, for asthma, high blood pressure and intestinal disorders. But also to boost libido.
Locally, people have been using this honey for a while. In fact, ancient Greek writings already mention it; dating back to a few hundred years BC. Even the great sage Aristotle talked about Mad Honey. In earlier times, people apparently used it regularly to improve and heal the skin. It was also said to relieve food poisoning when you put Mad Honey in your wine and drank this cocktail.
Now, you must be curious about the exact effects of this particular stuff... Here's what you can expect from 1-2 teaspoons of this honey:
- relaxation
- drowsiness
- excitement
- hallucinations
- decreased coordination
Know that you may experience nausea and headaches as negative effects. To avoid this, it is best to start with a cautious dose of one teaspoon or less.
Risks: poisoning and losing battles
Consuming this crazy honey is not without risk. As you could read earlier, the psychoactive substance is a toxin. You don't want to ingest too much of that. The symptoms of poisoning are nausea and dizziness. So far, no one has died from it according to research, so no worries. Especially if you just stick to the recommended dosage. Fun fact: even before the year 0, Mad Honey was used as a biological weapon. Roman soldiers were poisoned in bunches and then slaughtered, if the old stories are to be believed. Fortunately, anno nowadays, you don't have to fear that, and you can use Mad Honey just for fun.
Turkish versus Nepalese Mad Honey
There are two types of Mad Honey, Turkish and Nepalese. These have a few differences, especially in effect.
Turkish Mad Honey
The Turkish version has been made for centuries in the Caucasus region around the Black Sea. Especially in the cities of Rize and Trabzon, you will find Turkish Mad Honey everywhere. This honey is light in colour and is also known as 'deli bal', which can translate as 'mad treasure'.
The Nepalese variety
If you are looking for a stronger Mad Honey, go for the darker Nepalese variety. It has a more bitter taste than the Turkish version. Say Nepal, you naturally say mountains - so this honey is made at high altitudes: at least 3,500 metres.
You can find both types of honey in our shop. Good to know: producer Real Mad Honey tests the honey in the laboratory. You can see the analysis reports on their website. Curious? You can find Real Turkish Mad Honey and Real Nepal Mad Honey here.
