Posted on 08/16/2022 8:29:06 AM PDT by SJackson
Park rangers found a disoriented bear cub that ate a hallucinogenic type of honey, according to officials in Turkey. High on “mad honey,” the baby brown bear lay on the brush-filled ground of a national park in Düzce, Turkey on Aug. 11, Reuters reported. The bear sat in odd positions, partially slumped over and disoriented, photos shared on Twitter by Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry showed.
Park rangers put the bear into the back of their pickup truck where she wobbled around, looking confused, and sat, dazed and sprawled out, video from the ministry showed. The bear was “exhausted” after consuming the large dose of honey, the ministry said.
“Mad honey,” known as “deli bal” in Turkish, is a type of honey that comes from specific species of rhododendron flowers, according to ZME Science. The nectar of these flowers has grayanotoxin, a neurotoxin that acts like a drug when consumed. In small amounts, “mad honey” causes hallucinations and a high buzz, the outlet reported. In overdose amounts, the honey causes vomiting, diarrhea, loss of consciousness, and other illnesses, ZME Science reported. Beekeepers in Tukey’s Kaçkar mountains produce “mad honey” in small quantities, The Guardian reported. The outlet reported that hospitals in Turkey see dozens of cases of “mad honey poisoning” each year.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
Outdoors/Rural/wildlife/hunting/hiking/backpacking/National Parks/animals list please FR mail me to be on or off . And ping me is you see articles of interest.
Okay, I now want to know what kind of hallucinations a bear has.
“Mad Honey”.lol!
Trust me, that name will soon be patented and printed on labels of honey sold retail. It’s as catchy as
Murder Hornets.
Wondering if any of this crap is making the rounds across our southern border yet? Doesn’t sound quite as lethal as fentanyl.
When they began running in that way, the enemy stood their ground no longer, but betook themselves to flight, one in one direction, one in another, and the Hellenes scaled the hill and found quarters in numerous villages which contained supplies in abundance. Here, generally speaking, there was nothing to excite their wonderment, but the numbers of bee-hives were indeed astonishing, and so were certain properties of the honey (4). The effect upon the soldiers who tasted the combs was, that they all went for the nonce quite off their heads, and suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea, with a total inability to stand steady on their legs. A small dose produced a condition not unlike violent drunkenness, a large one an attack very like a fit of madness, and some dropped down, apparently at death's door. So they lay, hundreds of them, as if there had been a great defeat, a prey to the cruellest despondency. But the next day, none had died; and almost at the same hour of the day at which they had eaten they recovered their senses, and on the third or fourth day got on their legs again like convalescents after a severe course of medical treatment.
“In small amounts, “mad honey” causes hallucinations and a high buzz...”
Why are we just learning about this now? Turks been keep the good stuff to themselves apparently!
Probably not across the borders yet, but if it’s popular, there will be thousands of imitations and knock offs.
No one legal definition of it.
depressed talking donkeys and bouncing tigers well outside their normal range.
That looks more like, “You’re getting a migraine”.
I’ve had poison oak honey (pretty tasty), but this is the first I ever heard of mad honey. I would have thought it was part of a placatory sentence addressed to one’s wife, such as “Are you mad, honey?”
Nowadays if I want to get high, lightheaded and see sparkles, I just stand up real fast.
Here it is known as Mountain Laurel Honey.
Bee keepers know about it but usually the rhododendron nectar is not gathered in a large enough amount to spoil the honey.
You would almost have to place the hive deliberately to get a product of great enough toxicity. But it has happened.
Hmmm. Where can I get me some of that? LOL
Coming to a homeless encampment, high school, college dorm, cartel soon enough.
Actually, sounds like all one has to do is extract the neurotoxin from the flower, make some chemical analogues and we get to rescue the poisoned thrill seekers(or drug addicts). Then we get the PSA’s, the heart tugging stories of accidently poisoned children, dogs and cats, the one medical use for it, the debates over whether nature actually is trying to kill us, FDA, CDC, FBI,DOJ,IRS, AMA position statements...of course a movie from Cheech and Chongs kids.
I’m guessing the bear never watched the movie Midnight Express.
Mad honey is deliberately produced in some regions of the world, most notably Nepal and the Black Sea region of Turkey. In Nepal, this type of honey is used by the Gurung people for both its hallucinogenic properties and supposed medicinal benefits.[14] In Turkey, mad honey known as deli bal is also used as a recreational drug and traditional medicine. It is most commonly made from the nectar of Rhododendron luteum and Rhododendron ponticum in the Caucasus region.[15] In the eighteenth century, this honey was exported to Europe to add to alcoholic drinks to give them extra potency. In modern times, it is consumed locally and exported to North America, Europe and Asia.[8][16][17]
In addition to various Rhododendron species, mad honey can also be made from several other grayanotoxin-containing plants. Honey
I had a beautiful, crazy, 70 lb Bull Terrier. She would wait till the apricots fell from our tree, get really soft and eat them on warm summer days. Spit out the pits. She certainly got drunk and had a nice nap in the shade. I think elephants do this, too. Oh, and she would hoover up beer and drinks at pool parties.
“mad honey” AKA mead. If it was good enough for the vikings...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.