Himalayan Wild Honey (Mad Honey)

What is Mad Honey?

Himalayan Mad Honey is a unique natural food from the mountainside cliffs of Nepal popular for its intoxicating effects after consumption.

The locals believe and use the Mad Honey as a natural medicine for lowering blood pressure, increasing stamina and immunity, and some claim to maintain blood sugar levels.

there is a high demand for the Mad Honey in Nepal and is gaining popularity worldwide thanks to Joe Rogan and Sunny's YouTube podcast.

The harvesting of the Himalayan Mad Honey is still very much done with the tools with traditional methods where a long rope ladder is made up of wood and bamboo, Where the split bamboo is twisted to make a thick rope, The ladder is lowered on the cliff and the main man "Bhiraute" climbs to the perpendicular position of the hives location.

And he uses a long bamboo tool called "Dug", which is fixed into cracks between the rocks of the cliff and uses Dug to move the ladder closer to the hives. And then a smoky flame made up of green leaves and dried bamboo to smoke the beehives.

A basket made up of bamboo is then lowered from the top of the cliff to the hives and then uses a set of two long bamboo sticks called "HangoTango" where one stick has a small sickle on the tip whereas the other stick is used to stabilize the basket right under the beehives.

This method of harvesting the mad honey has been passed down from one generation of people to the next over centuries. It is believed that after the worshipping of the local deity, there is no need to worry about safety. Compared to the Western method of harvest, the use of netted clothing, safety harnesses, and other gadgets are not used during the harvesting process.

It may seem a little scary to those who might be observing the phenomenon for the first time, however, the team harvesting the honey are experts at it with decades of experience. It is their pure dedication and focus that allows them to achieve this kind of feat.

What does Mad Honey do?

The effects of consuming the "Mad Honey" may vary from person to person depending on the physical and psychological condition.

As far as the immediate effects go most people have reported feeling thirsty right after consuming Himalayan Mad Honey followed by the rapid activation of the salivary gland with excess saliva production.

Vomiting with lightheadedness after around 15 to 25 minutes of consumption may occur especially if there is some undigested alcohol or food inside your stomach.

An increase in heat internally may cause some sweating and chills, followed by relaxed muscles and a slight feeling of euphoria.

The Himalayan Mad Honey is harvested twice a year, during the end of spring and the autumn seasons, when the Honeycombs are full of Honey. As a form of gratitude towards nature or the divine, the first step is to worship the local deity, with a sacrifice of a rooster, goat, or sheep.

The process of harvesting the mad honey is done mostly with the traditional method, where a smoky fire is set up on the base of the cliff using green leaves of weeds. Then a rope ladder is hung directly in front of the particular site where the honeycomb is located, and the main harvester climbs the ladder.

Once the main harvester reaches the perpendicular position of the honeycomb, a bucket and a long stick with a sharp knife attached to the tip are suspended from the place where the ladder is suspended.

Then the pole with a sickle is used to cut off the chunks of the mad honeycomb into the basket, and then slowly lowered to the base of the cliff where other members of the team empty the bucket. The members at the top are signaled to pull up the ropes, and then the process is repeated until the harvesting is completed.

The base of the honeycomb with some honey and some larvae of the bees are left intact so that the population of the honey bees does not go extinct and produce some sweet honey for the next harvesting season.

Himalayan Mad honey is produced in the wild by the wild honey bees. These bees are black and slightly larger than normal domestic bees, resembling Wasps rather than honey bees. Living in the wild, roaming around the lower Himalayan region where high cliff walls are prevalent. They select vertical faces of cliffs, where it is difficult for any honey-hunting species to reach.

The Honeycombs are larger and are an interesting sight for anyone to spectate. The spring season falls during the month of March to May whereas the autumn season falls during September to November. It is a fact that the autumn season can be called the second spring, as there are completely different sets of flowers that bloom during this time of the year.

The pollens of wildflowers found in that particular region are collected by the swarm of bees, out of which the Rhododendron flower is one of the main ingredients. A specific compound of chemical found in the National Flower of Nepal is said to be the main reason for the hallucinogenic effects of the Mad Honey.

The Effects of Himalayan Mad Honey vary from person to person, depending on the amount of honey consumed. If it is your first time-consuming Mad Honey, then the effects might be a little harder than for those who are used to it.

The first thing you’ll notice after consuming Mad Honey is that you will start to feel a harsh feeling in your throat, motivating you to drink some water. However, it is not recommended to drink water right after consuming mad honey.

Some effects of Mad Honey as per the official medical reports from Science Direct include Vomiting, Dizziness, headache, Impaired conscious-ness, Sweating, Hypersalivation, Cramps, Chills, Mental confusion, Diarrhoea, Palpitation, Paraesthesia, Unconsciousness, and Fatigue