As much as drugs are currently associated with all kinds of synthetic substances created in laboratories, in reality they have existed for millennia, and some of them do not even have to go through “cooking” to have powerful effects on the human mind.
The hallucinogenic honey that is extracted from certain Himalayan honeycombs is a clear example of this. In the following lines we will see what this psychoactive substance is like and what effects it produces after consumption.
What is hallucinogenic honey?
Hallucinogenic honey is a type of honey made by the giant bees of the Himalayas. when they feed on the flowers of a species of rhododendron common in the area. These flowers contain a type of toxin called grayatoxin whose effects on the activity of the human nervous system are significant if consumed properly.
This substance is more reddish in color than is usual in honey sold in any supermarket, and its flavor is different.
The psychoactive effects it produces also make people venture out in search of it every year. some people risk their lives to reach these hives , located atop large stone walls in mountainous areas of Nepal. Normally, to reach them, ladders of several tens of meters long, made of bamboo, are used.
The people of the Kirat Kulung ethnic group are usually the ones who go in search of this substance on a regular basis, since it is part of the remedies that they have used for centuries to try to combat certain diseases.
Due to the difficulties in obtaining it and the high risk associated with reaching the honeycombs, hallucinogenic honey is sold on the black market at a fairly high price , more than 100 euros per kilo. Furthermore, the person who ventures to put his life at risk to expose himself to the danger of these cliffs is assisted by many helpers, who form teams of up to ten individuals.
However, several beekeepers around the world, especially in Turkey and the United States of America, also make a similar product, taking advantage of contexts in which when rhododendrons bloom, bees have little more food available, so the amount of grayatoxins that pass into the final product is high.
The effects of this substance
Grayatoxins, presented in high concentration amounts in the blood, increase the amount of acetylcholine available in the human brain.
Acetylcholine, in turn, is an element used by the neurons of the nervous system to communicate with each other, so it is totally involved in physiological and psychological processes.
When excess acetylcholine floods the brain, a phenomenon known as cholinergic syndrome appears The effects of poisoning by hallucinogenic honey are, in short, those that result from the union of hallucinations and the symptoms of this syndrome, which produces gastrointestinal problems, vomiting, tearing and urinary incontinence.
Normally, the effects of hallucinogenic honey appear between a quarter of an hour and an hour after having been ingested, but both the intensity of the effects and their duration are very difficult to know in advance, since one of the particularities of this product is that it is sold without knowing exactly the concentration of grayatoxins it contains.
Yes, as The effects are not immediate but several minutes pass between ingesting and appearing there is a danger of binge eating, not being aware that all the toxins ingested will have a very negative effect on health.
Its traditional use
As in many other cultures, the people of Nepal routinely use home remedies whose effectiveness has not been scientifically proven in clinical studies. Specifically, they usually eat this food after purging, to combat cough and other symptoms of relatively common diseases
Thus, the psychotropic effects of this honey are not the main reason why it is consumed in those towns where its use is traditional, although, possibly, they have contributed to giving it an image of a food with unique and significantly different qualities. those of normal honey.
Lack of controls and ignorance can make that this substance endangers the lives of patients , since it significantly alters the heart rate, causing it to drop significantly. If we add to that that it is used in people whose health is not good, the risk increases even more.