The world’s largest honey bees, the Himalayan giant honey bees, produce an unusual kind of honey. It is unusual because of its psychotropic characteristics. It is a reddish sweet goop, also known as mad honey.
If you have not heard about it yet it is not strange, since it is really hard to harvest and find. This honey is a real treat when taken in small and reasonable doses. However, being so difficult to harvest, those who dare to harvest it, do it at their own risk. The main reason for this is because these bees‘ stings can pierce through the beekeeper‘s suits, as well as the tricky location of the honey. The Himalayan giant honey bees keep their hives on steep cliffs. These hives are big and crescent-shaped.
This amazing practice of collecting this honey faces a great danger of disappearing. Kulung people of eastern Nepal are the true masters of this craft. Mauli Dhan is known to be the last honey hunter. When he won’t be able to collect this honey anymore, it is quite possible that this craft will end too.
Mad honey is something that you will not find in your local supermarkets. It is only sold on the black market, at a price of $60 to $80. However, it is questionable how reasonable it is to be attracted by these high prices and make the decision for harvesting it ourselves. This is a practice that takes a lot of time to be learned and it brings high risk.
A team of film-makers made a documentary about the last honey hunter. They documented the honey hunting craft of Mauli Dhan in the documentary “The Last Honey Hunter”. In addition, see a behind the scenes video.
“The Last Honey Hunter” Behind the Scenes
The mad honey experience
In spring, the Himalayan bees eat the flower Rhododendron, whose toxins give the mad honey these special properties. This honey should not be used in large doses, only 2-3 teaspoons is enough and it is considered to be the correct dose. A larger dose can provoke an unpleasant experience.
First, you will feel that you need to vomit. Then, as Jangi Kulung (a local honey trader) explained, “after the purge, you alternate between light and dark. You can see, and then you can’t see,”. He adds: “A sound — jam jam jam— pulses in your head, like the beehive. You can’t move, but you’re still completely lucid. The paralysis lasts for a day or so.”
These kinds of intense experiences, as well as the supposed death from overdose, are the reason why it became really difficult to sell the mad honey. Also, this is the reason for this craft to disappear in the near future.
However, it is possible that the hunt for this rare hallucinogenic honey will continue to some extent, even after Mauli Dhan. On the other hand, the harvesting technique and is very debatable, as its safety is really questionable. The fragile ecosystem that exists and provides the possibility of creating this honey, may not continue to be so giving, because of the missing of balanced and careful harvest.
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