Is It Illegal to Buy Mad Honey in the US?
MAD honey has been used in Nepal since 1300 BC. Used as a natural medicine as they believe it cures respiratory problems.
But is the name crazy honey as crazy as it sounds? Here we learn…
1
What is crazy honey?
Crazy honey is not the same as the honey you find in a supermarket.
The honey can produce physiological effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, vomiting, seizures and hallucinations.
In rare cases it can even lead to death.
The crazy honey is the result of bees feasting on rhododendrons, which contain grayanotoxins.
These neurotoxic compounds then make their way into the honey of the bees, giving users the hallucinogenic hit.
The bitter-tasting, dark red honey is produced by the Apis laboriosa bee, the largest honey bee in the world.
People who have drunk a few teaspoons have compared the effects to the effects of weed.
According to the National Library of Medicine, crazy honey can also be put to good use.
It is used as an alternative medicine for hypertension, diabetes, influenza, gastrointestinal diseases, abdominal/stomach pain, arthritis, stimulating sex, various viral infections, skin diseases, pain and common cold.
Demand for it has increased as it is also an aphrodisiac.
Although rare and difficult to harvest, it is in high demand worldwide and can be bought online.
Is It Illegal to Buy Mad Honey in the US?
It’s legal to buy mad honey in the US, but it’s banned in several other countries like Australia, South Korea, and the UK.
It can be easily purchased from online sellers like Amazon and Etsy at prices ranging from $6 to $50 an ounce.
Reports have shown that a kilogram of high-quality crazy honey sells for around $360 in Turkey.
It has been recommended that if you are planning to buy crazy honey, you should check with the seller how strong it is and where it is from.
You should also familiarize yourself with the risks involved, some believe that crazy honey has more benefits than risks.
Where can you find crazy honey?
Wild honey is produced by bees in the mountains of Nepal and Turkey,
The bees feed on the Rhododendron ponticum plants that grow in mountainous regions near the Black Sea in native and eastern Asia.
Gatherers risk their lives to collect mad honey in the Himalayan mountains, hanging from ropes to harvest the combs.
They fumigate the bees to extract the honey by lighting a fire at the bottom of the cliff.
Indigenous and Gurung tribes have been harvesting mad honey for centuries, believing it has healing properties and has been part of their culture for centuries.
The Nepalese continue to harvest the honey regularly as a source of income as the rest of the world has realized its impact.