Mad honey

from Vulci depicting Laius, Celeus, Cerberus, and Aegolius being stung by bees in the Dictaean Cave. '' species are a source of the grayanotoxins that give mad honey its properties. Historical accounts of mad honey stretch back over two millennia. Early accounts by Ancient Greek historians noted the properties of the honey and its floral origins. There are a few accounts of its use as a biological weapon, usually as experienced by foraging soldiers. The Greek military leader and historian Xenophon wrote an account of a 401 BCE incident involving mad honey in his work Anabasis about the expedition of the Ten Thousand. In his account, he describes how Greek soldiers traveling near Trabzon (now part of Turkey) near the Black Sea, ate mad honey and then became disoriented, suffering vomiting and diarrhea, and no longer able to stand. The soldiers recovered the following day. Roman and Greek authorities believed mad honey could cure insanity. The Greek geographer Strabo described the incident as having wiped out three maniples of Romans, which could mean anywhere from 480 to 1,800 soldiers. Other incidents of honey poisonings may have been caused by mad honey. In 946, allies of Queen Olga of Kiev sent several tons of fermented honey to her Russian foes. 5,000 Russians were massacred as they lay in a stupor. Later in 1489, in the same region, Tatars consumed casks of mead made using mad honey that had been left in an abandoned camp. 10,000 of the Tatars were slaughtered by Russians. a bear cub in a national park in Turkey's Düzce Province suffering from mad honey poisoning was rescued by park rangers and treated. --> ==Prevalence and harvesting==

'' bees Rhododendron species and other plants in the family Ericaceae produce grayanotoxins. Honey made from the nectar contains pollen from these plants as well as the grayanotoxins. Due to its reddish color, it is sometimes called rose of the forest honey. Mad honey is produced in specific world regions, notably the Black Sea Region of Turkey and Nepal. Small-scale producers of mad honey typically harvest honey from a small area or single hive, producing a honey containing a significant concentration of grayanotoxins. In contrast, large-scale honey production often mixes honey gathered from different locations, diluting the concentration of any contaminated honey. A Caucasus beekeeper noted in a 1929 article in Bee World that the potency of the honey could vary across a single honeycomb and that the most dangerous mad honey was produced at high elevations during dry spells. Beekeepers in the Kaçkar Mountains have produced mad honey for centuries. In southern Asia, Apis laboriosa nests are found mostly in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region. Honey gathering In central Nepal and northern India, the Gurung people have traditionally gathered the honey for centuries, scaling cliffsides to reach the hives. Residents collect the honey twice a year, once in late spring and once in the late fall. The honey hunters use rope ladders with wooden rungs to access the nests and set fires underneath to smoke out the bees. A specialist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development reported in 2022 that there had been a decrease both in the number of cliffs that host bees and in the number of colonies each cliff supports. Recommendations for sustainable honey harvesting include leaving half of the newly formed combs undisturbed and only harvesting portions of the combs. In other regions United States Mad honey is rarely produced in the United States. According to Texas A&M professor Vaughn Bryant, an expert on honey, mad honey is produced in the Appalachian Mountains in the Eastern U.S. when a late cold snap kills most flowers but not rhododendrons. Honeys produced from mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia) and sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) also contain grayanotoxins and are potentially deadly if large quantities are eaten. Europe In Europe, honey containing grayanotoxins is produced from Rhododendron ferrugineum, which occurs in the Alps and Pyrenees. However, no grayanane intoxication cases have been reported for honeys from the European Union. ==Physiological effects==

Consumption of mad honey can cause a poisonous reaction called grayanotoxin poisoning, mad honey disease, honey intoxication, or rhododendron poisoning. The honey is the most common cause of grayanotoxin poisoning. Treatments for mad honey poisoning include atropine, adrenaline, and saline infusions. ==Usage==

Mad honey is most frequently produced and consumed in regions of Turkey and Nepal as a traditional medicine or recreational drug. It is used as a traditional medicine to treat sore throat, arthritis, diabetes, and hypertension. Mad honey is also thought to help with erectile dysfunction ==See also==