Himalayan Red Honey
Other Names: Apis laboriosa honey, Mad honey, Red honey, Wild Himalayan Honey
Himalayan Red Honey is produced by the Himalayan cliff bee (Apis dorsata laboriosa), the largest bee in the world at just over 3cm long. The honey is the product of the Himalayan cliff bee or (Apis dorsata laboriosa). This bee is the largest in the world which are just over 3cm long and they are a subspecies of the relatively common bee (Apis dorsata). This highland bee is the only species in the area that has access to Rhododendron flowers. The red honey is prized for its purported medicinal value and intoxicating qualities which are attributed to the grayanotoxin present in the nectar collected from white rhododendrons. Many Rhododendron species contain grayanotoxins, which is why they are widely known to be poisonous to humans. In the highlands of the himalayas; Bhutan, Yunnan (China), India and Nepal, the rare Himalayan cliff bee lives along side Rhododendrons (e.g. Rhododendron luteum and Rhododendron ponticum), and frequently collects nectar from their poisonous flowers. Red honey is a multifloral honey made of: Rhododendrons (Rhododendron anthopogon, R. cinnabarinum and R. panticum), Bikh (Aconitum spp.), Pangra (Entada scanders), Pieris (Pieris formosa) and Niramasi. The wholesale price of the red honey is about five times the price of regular honey from Apis mellifera or Apis cerana and large amounts of it are exported from Nepal to Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong.
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Special Precautions of Himalayan Red Honey
- In large doses it can be highly toxic and even fatal.
- When taken in larger doses, mad honey can cause Rhododendron poisoning (or honey intoxication) which is characterised by vomiting, progressive muscle weakening and heart irregularities.
- It can induce cardiac arrest and full-scale hallucinations.
- Nepalese tribesmen risk their lives to harvest Himalayan Red Honey : Several honey hunters have died trying to harvest the lucrative honey.
Benefits and uses of Himalayan Red Honey
The properties of mad honey, both pleasant and harmful, are due to the grayanotoxins in it, derived from the Rhododendron nectar. Grayanotoxins are a group of toxins produced by Rhododendrons and plants in the Erincaceae family. The Gurung people in Nepal are renowned for their use of this mad honey, both for its medicinal and hallucinogenic properties.
- In small doses, the honey can ensure a soothing sense of inebriation much like the experience produced from a substance such as absinthe.
- Some villagers ingest a teaspoon of the honey each morning, as they believe it strengthens the immune system and can lead to a longer and more fruitful life.
- The village people use the exotic honey to treat a variety of ailments, including hypertension, diabetes and low libido.
- Highly sought after by middle-aged men as a sexual performance enhancer.
