Mad Honey: What It Is, Where It Comes From and Why It Is Dangerous

Where mad honey comes from

Some rhododendron and azalea species produce nectar containing grayanotoxins, compounds that affect nerve and muscle cells. When bees gather mostly from those flowers, the honey can carry enough toxin to affect people. The best-known sources are the mountains above Turkey's eastern Black Sea coast, where it is called deli bal, and the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, where honey hunters harvest combs of the Himalayan cliff bee.

Ordinary honey is not mad honey. Bees in most regions gather from many flowers, and the honey sold in US stores is not made from these rhododendrons. Rhododendrons grown in American gardens rarely produce a noticeable amount of honey.

A long and strange history

Mad honey appears in some of the oldest written history. The Greek writer Xenophon described soldiers who ate honey near the Black Sea around 400 BCE and fell ill, acting as though drunk or mad, before recovering a day or two later. Later accounts tell of mad honey being left for invading troops. In the 18th century, it was reportedly exported to Europe and mixed into drinks.

What mad honey does to the body

Medical reviews describe grayanotoxin poisoning, sometimes called mad honey intoxication, as usually starting within a few hours of eating the honey. Reported symptoms include dizziness, weakness, heavy sweating, nausea and vomiting, blurred vision, tingling, low blood pressure and an abnormally slow heart rate. Most people recover within a day with medical care, but severe cases can involve dangerous heart rhythm problems.

The amount of toxin varies widely from jar to jar and even within a single comb, so there is no way to know a safe amount. People with heart conditions, those on heart or blood pressure medicines, and older adults face higher risks.

• Do not eat honey sold as mad honey, red honey or deli bal.
• Be cautious with honey bought from unknown sellers in the Black Sea region or Nepal.
• If someone feels dizzy, faint, sick or has chest symptoms after eating unusual honey, get emergency medical care.
• Never give any honey to a baby under 12 months.

Why mad honey is sold online

Mad honey has become a curiosity on social media and is sold online with claims about its effects. Those claims are not a reason to try it. The same compounds that cause the effects cause the poisoning, and doses are unpredictable. Online products may also be mislabeled, which is a problem in both directions: a jar can be ordinary honey, or it can be stronger than expected.

How to know your honey is not mad honey

Honey from established beekeepers in the US and most of the world comes from common nectar sources such as clover, wildflowers, fruit blossoms, buckwheat and sunflower, not toxic rhododendrons. All our honeys are pure, everyday table honeys from partner beekeepers in New York State, North Dakota and Florida, with the flower source on every label. Our is raw honey safe guide covers the real safety questions for ordinary honey.