Mad Honey: Bioweapon and Hallucinogen

It fells armies and precipitates delirium. No, it’s not something that’s found in Harry Potter. 

Throughout history, humans have sought exceedingly dangerous hallucinogens in the pursuit of that elusive thrill, occasionally at the cost of their lives. Fun fact: centuries ago, mad honey was used by the Persians to destroy a thousand Roman soldiers, leading to the slaughter of Pompey’s men. Talk about a buzzkill. 

It’s crazy to think that something as innocuous as honey can take on a fabled status, like something straight from legend, found in the bazaars of Constantinople among djinn bottles and Ottoman scimitars. But mad honey, which has been used both as a weapon of war and as a psychoactive drug, proves that, at times, fact is stranger than fiction. 

What is Mad Honey? 

The Black Sea region is home to several taxonomical curiosities, including the famed Halfeti roses, so highly pigmented that they appear black. Another that’s been gaining traction in recent years due to a spate of YouTube videos is mad honey, where in Turkey, it’s known as deli bal. Mad honey, extracted from the flowers of rhododendron species, particularly Rhododendron ponticum, is concentrated in grayanotoxins, a neurotoxin deadly in high doses. 

While no recent deaths have occurred from the consumption of mad honey, the effects can be unpleasant: dizziness and euphoria in small doses, and nausea, hallucinations, and paralysis in high doses, mimicking the symptoms of life-threatening diseases. In rare cases, it can cause death. 

Even the trek to harvest mad honey is difficult, fraught with danger. In their native Nepal and Turkey, the rhododendrons flourish at high altitudes, where beehives are built into cliff sides. Honey hunters, suspended precariously on rickety ropes, must be prepared to face a swarm of frenzied bees angered by the disturbance of their nests. These that successfully brave the route can expect to fetch a high price to the right buyer. 

Despite the high risks associated with mad honey, it’s revered as a folk medicine among rural villagers, who use it to lower cholesterol and manage other diseases.  

Atakan Berkmen, a graduate from Texas A&M, who hails from Turkey, says it’s definitely something that’s out there. “It’s only in rural parts probably; I’ve never heard of anyone back home doing it − just crazy sheep herders and beekeepers,” he says.  

More than a Buzzkill  

Think your local country market is overpriced? At certain black markets and online ventures, mad honey can be procured for a hefty price – $60 to $80 a pound. Unlike most honey, it’s purported to have a bitter, smoky taste that irritates the throat. Most sensible people will want to steer clear of it, unless they want to send a batch to an irksome neighbor. 

Since antiquity, mad honey has been infamous in regions around the Black Sea. Folklore attributes mad honey as the biological weapon that fell the soldiers of Pompey the Great’s army. Hot on the trail of King Mithridates of Persia, Roman soldiers stumbled upon pots of mad honey that the Persians had left behind, and unaware of the threat, feasted on the honey. Later, when they returned, they found the Roman troops in the throes of delirium, heavily disoriented and weak. Seizing the opportunity, they laid siege and killed a thousand men with few losses to their side. 

On a more lighthearted note, a bear cub in Turkey gobbled up too much bitter honey, and in a documented video, was seen behaving much like the local drunkard. Fortunately, he’s been pronounced cured after receiving treatment at a veterinary center. 

Mad Honey Poisoning

Thrill junkies interested in mad honey are deterred from seeking it. While mad honey poisoning is rarely fatal, the honey in itself is unpredictable, and it’s difficult to tell whether a dose will spell a plunge into the abyss. The local dealer might lace it with benign substances, which will dilute the effect, but on the flip side, it can also produce a bitter punch to the gut. 

A toxic episode is characterized by nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and, in rarer incidences, cardiac issues and multiple fainting spells. When this occurs, patients generally stay home to tough it out instead of going to the hospital and seek treatments based on local customs. 

Like with most crazes invented by humans to produce a buzz, this one is definitely not safe, and to put it bluntly, stupid. Unless you want to suffer through hell and back (or you have the comportment of a Cuban revolutionary), it’s not recommended that you test your mettle with mad honey.  

Can Mad Honey be Found in the US?

Naturally occurring mad honey in the US is exceedingly rare, and the conditions that arise are strange enough as to warrant superstition. American tales tell of the unlucky Union soldiers during the Civil War who discovered wild honey in the mountains and ate it, experiencing the same maladies that befell the Roman soldiers millennia ago. Yet, mountain laurels, the main culprit, is not something that bees gravitate towards. 

When cold wave sweeps through the Eastern US, flowers that bees usually rely on are killed off or delayed in their bloom times. Bees in the Appalachia region, starved of their usual food sources, default to Kalmia latifolia, the mountain laurels, for sustenance. 

In short, it’s unlikely that a rhododendron grown in your backyard will contain enough grayanotoxins to produce mad honey. While Eugene, the quirky beekeeper from Wednesday, might appreciate the application of mad honey, it’s improbable that he'll be able to cultivate sufficient quantities to use in biological warfare.