WATCH: Bear Cub Hallucinates After Eating ‘Mad Honey’
By Gregory Frye
Ever wonder what a hallucinating bear looks like?
A female bear cub in Turkey was rescued by Park Rangers after ingesting a batch of hallucinogenic honey.
The local delicacy, also called Mad Honey or deli bal, comes from the rhododendron flower, which has a psychoactive property called grayanotoxins.
The unsuspecting bear appeared disoriented, wobbly, and whining after it was rescued from a forest in northeast Turkey.
Or perhaps the bear is a regular consumer of Mad Honey and just ate too much this time.
The rangers took the bear to a nearby vet for treatment with the intent to release her back into the wild within a few days.
Watch the hallucinating bear video here:
A Brief History of Mad Honey
Humans have enjoyed the intoxicating effects of rhododendron honey for thousands of years, since at least 2100 BC.
In Turkey, it is considered a traditional medicine used by men for supposed sexual enhancement.
Mad Honey also makes appearances in stories passed on from Ancient Greece. Xenophon, for example, recounts a tale where an entire Greek army accidentally ingested the special honey. The surprised soldiers made a full recovery.
Effects of Mad Honey
According to a report published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Mad Honey is “commonly used as an aphrodisiac (sexual stimulant), in alternative therapy for gastrointestinal disorders (peptic ulcer disease, dyspepsia, and gastritis), and for hypertension for a long time.”
The report claims that the grayanotoxins in the honey can cause cardiac disorders, and potential unwanted effects may include dizziness, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, impairment, general weakness, and other undesirables.
However no deaths from Mad Honey have been reported, other than a few during the 1800s.
The report goes on: “Although fatalities are very rare, mad honey ingestion may still lead to arrhythmias, which can be life-threatening and hard to recognize.”
In other words, if you decide you want to experiment with Mad Honey, do your homework, and be careful of dosing, or you could end up like this bear. Don’t make us send the Park Rangers after you!
Legality of Mad Honey
Mad Honey is legal in most places. You can even buy it on Amazon.
Why is it legal and other hallucinogens are not? Mostly because lawmakers haven’t heard of it yet. Or they haven’t seen any way to use Mad Honey prohibition as a political weapon.
Hopefully this bear making headlines doesn’t ruin things for everyone.
If you're interested in honey, be sure to check out our article "Sweet Medicine: 10 Benefits of CBD Honey Sticks."