“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best,” and then he had to stop and think. Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called. A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
It is said that eating local honey helps in combating allergies. And that local honey is unprocessed and pure making it stronger in its medicinal benefits, like anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. Plus you are getting tiny amounts of the very local thing you’re allergic to, which can make you less sensitive to it
Photo: Andrew Newey / andrewnewey.com
What about honey that has hallucinogenic properties.
Enter the Honey Hunters of the Himalayas. The Gurung people of Nepal climb cliffs to harvest Himalayan Red Honey produced by the largest honeybee. Century old tradition of risking life while hanging from a handmade ladder 200 or so feet above the ground and poking hives of angry, swarming bees. No thank you, I will keep my day job.
The honey is also called Mad Honey which is gathered by the bees from a species of Rhododendron flower. Mad honey has been sought by the region’s populace, mainly China, for treatment in diabetes and hypertension. And for recreational drug proposes done in small doses due to being highly toxic.
According to Texas A&M research, Mad Honey was used in warfare by King Mithridates of Pontus when he left pots full of honey after being chased by a Roman army in 67 B.C.E. The soldiers ate it and became disoriented. The king returned and killed 1,000 Roman troops of Pompey the Great.
Looking around the internet you can buy Mad Honey from Nepal in pure form for around $1 a gram. One website suggests it taste “unique and bold aromatic profile with an equally complex mysterious flavor. Very mild sweetness. Tangy with spicy undertones followed by a slightly bitter aftertaste.”
If anyone tries it let me know what you think.
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