People have developed some bizarre ways of catching a buzz — from licking frogs to pouring vodka in their eyes (seriously, don’t try this at home). But few substances are as sweet and intriguing as mad honey. Harvested in Turkey for millennia, this honey has served as a sweetener, a drug, and even a weapon of war. Here’s the fascinating story behind mad honey.
It’s one of the most expensive types of honey in the world, selling for $60-$200 per pound. Samples of mad honey. / Courtesy Dr. Suleyman Turedi.
In Turkish Black Sea villages, some locals still practice traditional farming and beekeeping. In fields blooming with cream and magenta rhododendrons, bees collect nectar to produce deli bal — or mad honey. Only certain rhododendron species, such as Rhododendron luteum and Rhododendron ponticum, contain a natural neurotoxin called grayanotoxin, which gives mad honey its psychoactive properties.
The honey itself is distinctive: dark, reddish, and relatively bitter compared to the golden sweetness of typical honey. But its dangerous allure has earned it a place in the traditions of Turkey, Nepal, and beyond.
Consumed in moderation (whether imbibed in other drinks or consumed on its own), mad honey induces a pleasant buzz, euphoria, and sometimes mild hallucinations. However, too much can lead to mad honey intoxication, characterized by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and even serious heart issues like bradycardia and atrioventricular blocks.
For this reason, it was used as a weapon in the Antiquity.
A history steeped in intoxication
The first recorded incident of mad honey intoxication dates back to 401 BCE, says Texas A&M University Professor of Anthropology Vaughn Bryant, one of the world’s foremost honey experts. The Greek historian Xenophon documented how his army, retreating through the Black Sea region, feasted on local honeycombs near Trabzon. Soon after, the soldiers were vomiting, disoriented, and unable to stand. By the next day, they recovered, bewildered by the experience but unharmed.
Not all mad honey is created equal — its potency varies depending on the season and the concentration of grayanotoxins. Spring harvests tend to be the most potent. Rhododendrom ponticum. Image via A Photo Flora.
A few centuries later, the Roman soldiers weren’t so lucky.
In 65 BCE, King Mithridates VI of Pontus weaponized mad honey in a battle against the Roman general Pompey. As the Romans pursued Mithridates’ forces, they came across pots of honey deliberately left behind. Eager for a sweet reprieve, the soldiers indulged — and were soon incapacitated. The Persians returned and slaughtered over 1,000 Roman troops.
“The Persians gathered pots full of local honey and left them for the Roman troops to find,” says Bryant. “They ate the honey, became disoriented and couldn’t fight. The Persian army returned and killed over 1,000 Roman troops with few losses of their own.”
Several other instances were noted in history. In 946, allies of Queen Olga of Kyiv sent several tons of fermented honey to Russian foes, resulting in the massacre of 5,000 incapacitated soldiers. Similarly, in 1489, 10,000 Tatars were slaughtered by Russians after consuming mead made with mad honey left in an abandoned camp.
By the 18th century, around 25 tons of mad honey were exported annually from the Black Sea region to Europe, where it was known as miel fou (crazy honey) and added to alcoholic drinks for extra potency. American botanist Benjamin Smith Barton noted that Pennsylvania beekeepers intoxicated themselves with mad honey, mixing it into liquor and selling the concoction in New Jersey as metheglin, an elixir that could turn from pleasant to ferocious.
In 1875, former Confederate surgeon J. Grammer reported several cases of Southern soldiers suffering from mad honey intoxication, highlighting its unpredictable and dangerous effects.
Where and how mad honey is made
Mad honey production is not widespread. Though rhododendrons are found around the world, only a few regions have the right combination of climate and bee species to produce this intoxicating nectar. The Black Sea region of Turkey and the Himalayan foothills of Nepal are the most notable sources.
Mad honey. Image via Wiki Commons.
In Turkey, locals call it deli bal — literally “mad honey.” Beekeepers there know the dangers well. They harvest the honey carefully in the spring when the rhododendrons bloom, ensuring minimal exposure to the toxins.
“There are more than 700 different species [of rhododendron] in the world, but according to our knowledge just two or three include grayanotoxin in their nectars,” says Süleyman Turedi, a doctor at the Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine in Trabzon, Turkey, who studies deli bal’s effects and has witnessed more than 200 cases of mad honey poisoning.
“People believe that this honey is a kind of medicine,” Turedi says. “They use it to treat hypertension, diabetes mellitus and some different stomach diseases. And also, some people use deli bal to improve their sexual performance.” These alleged benefits have not been demonstrted scientifically.
In Nepal, the honey is harvested by the Gurung people, who engage in a death-defying tradition. They scale sheer cliffs to reach the hives of the Himalayan giant honey bee (Apis laboriosa), the largest bee species in the world. Dangling from rope ladders and fending off swarming bees, they collect the precious honeycomb. The effort is dangerous, but the reward is honey prized for its psychoactive and medicinal properties.
Image credits: A honeycomb colony of Apis laboriosa on a vertical rockface in the Himalayas.
But most beekeepers are reluctant to sell it to strangers. Johnny Morris, a travel journalist from the United Kingdom traveled to Turkey in 2003 to taste mad honey in Trabzon, a Turkish city facing the Black Sea. He describes his experience, saying that after just a teaspoon, the honey went to his head.
“It did make me feel quite light-headed,” he says. The honey’s potency seems to have turned it into a treat reserved for those in the know. “I think that the responsible shop keepers know they shouldn’t be selling it to strangers,” Morris says. “They are a bit wary of marketing it.”
Most locals are wary of selling mad honey to foreigners
Mad honey is legal in Turkey, and you can also buy it online in some cases.
First of all, you may be tricked if you don’t taste it first. Second of all, it can be quite dangerous.
A sweet mystery that can also be dangerous
Rhododendron species are a source of the grayanotoxins that give mad honey its properties.
Despite its dangers, mad honey may hold some untapped potential. Researchers are interested in its medicinal properties, particularly its role in treating hypertension and diabetes. The unique effects of grayanotoxins might one day lead to new treatments — if we can harness them safely.
A review of 1,199 cases showed that the symptoms of intoxication can be alarming, though most patients recover fully within 24 hours with proper treatment, such as atropine and IV fluids.
Mad honey intoxication is caused by grayanotoxins that disrupt the body’s sodium channels, leading to various neurological and cardiovascular symptoms. Symptoms typically appear within minutes to hours after consumption and can range from mild (dizziness, sweating, nausea) to severe (seizures, slow heart rate, loss of consciousness). In severe cases, hospitalization is recommended.
However, it’s worth noting that bees don’t get any buzz from mad honey.
“Some substances which are toxic to humans have no effect on bees,” notes Bryant. “If bees obtain their nectar from certain flowers, the resulting honey can be psychoactive, or even toxic to humans, but innocuous to bees and their larvae.”
So, if you ever find yourself in the hills of Turkey or the cliffs of Nepal, and someone offers you a taste of this mysterious honey, remember: It might be the sweetest trip you ever take — but it’s not without risk.
