The Rare Honey That Has Hallucinogenic Properties

You can find pretty much anything on the black market: car parts, blood diamonds, other unsavory unmentionables, and even honey. If you thought the only problem to look out for at the grocery store was the growing list of counterfeit honey (but don't worry — there's an easy way to tell if it's fake), look out for the stuff that could make you mad. That's right — someone call Bill and Ted for their next adventure because there's a honey out there that'll make you trip.

You likely won't find "mad honey" as it's wittingly called in your local Costco next to the wildflower and raw varieties. But, beekeepers in Washington beware. Unlike the poppies on the way to the Emerald City in "The Wizard of Oz," the real-life Emerald City has a different flower to watch out for, the state flower — Rhododendron, the source of the madness. Rhododendrons are a common sight in wetter climates with acidic soil like the Pacific Northwest and the United Kingdom.

The main producers of mad honey are in Nepal and Turkey, which makes sense as the rhododendron plant is native to Asia — as well as Europe and North America. But don't worry — not all rhododendrons can produce this intoxicating sweetener.

The hallucinogenic effects of the honey are due to the neurotoxins, called grayanotoxins, produced by the vibrantly colored blooms that are then digested by bees who make the honey. Side effects include lowered heart rate, euphoric sensations, and numbness — hallucinations occurring when consumers ingest larger servings. Mad honey is also speculated to be an aphrodisiac – a much less flatulent option than baked beans, if we're being honest — and is even used for medicinal purposes in parts of Asia.

The traditional way the honey is collected

About a two-hour hike from the village of Bhujung in Nepal, the Gurung people trek to a waterfall carved out of the cliffs of the Himalayas, which is abuzz with hives home to some of the world's largest honeybees. These giant hives are where the bees return after collecting the pollen of nearby rhododendron plants.

The honey hunters, some of who have been risking the rope ladders for 30 years, climb more than 65 feet in the air, using long tools to grasp and cut off sections of the hives before gingerly lowering them to the ground. Mad honey is an honored cultural delicacy for this village, and before they collect the psychedelic syrup, they sacrifice a goat to their gods (which will be eaten later so as not to be wasted). Small grass fires are used to distract and disarm the bees for the collection process and to deter collectors from being stung.

Highly potent, a little will go a very long way. The strength of the honey can vary from region to region but the accepted rule of thumb for potency is tied to the viscosity and color. The guidelines for mad honey seem to contradict the guidelines for spotting fake honey on store shelves. Thicker, paler honey will have more subtle effects whereas darker, redder honey, almost auburn, will be thinner in texture and much, much stronger.  Some honey hunters have said they were unable to walk for a day after ingesting perhaps too much of the hallucinogenic. The price of your trip can get costly, mad honey from Nepal goes for $60 to $80 a pound.