The Nepalese Honey That Makes People Hallucinate
This VICE documentary explores the rare and dangerous tradition of harvesting “Mad Honey” in the Annapurna mountains of Nepal. This honey is produced by the world’s largest honeybees and contains grayanotoxin, a substance from rhododendron flowers that has medicinal and psychoactive properties.
🏔️ The Gurung People and the Honey Hunt
- Ancient Tradition: The Gurung, an indigenous community, have been harvesting honey from high cliffs for centuries, passing down the technique through generations [01:41], [04:59].
- Spiritual Practice: Before the hunt, the community performs a religious ceremony involving a chicken sacrifice to appease the “cliff gods” and ensure the safety of the hunters [07:50].
- The Hunt: Hunters use ropes made of braided bamboo to scale massive cliffs. They use smoke from burning leaves to ward off the giant, aggressive bees while cutting down the hives [10:20], [14:12].
🍯 What is “Mad Honey”?
- The Source: In the spring, the honey is rich with pollen from rhododendron flowers, which infuses it with grayanotoxin [02:13].
- Reputation: The honey is used as a medicine for various ailments, an aphrodisiac, and occasionally as a recreational drug [02:20], [09:37].
- Flavor and Dosage: It is sweet but has a slightly smoky flavor and leaves a burning sensation in the throat. Over-consuming it can lead to sickness or even death [17:15], [17:45].
✨ The Effects: A Psychedelic Experience
- The High: The host describes the sensation as a mix between being “stoned” on cannabis and a low-dose mushroom trip. It creates a physical feeling of being “cold and warm at the same time” and can cause muscle tension similar to “lockjaw” [18:04], [22:01].
- A Way of Life: For the Gurung, the hunt is more than just about the honey; it is a communal event that defines their relationship with nature and their heritage [11:33], [21:33].
🍃 Cultural Observations
- Local Life: The video captures the simplicity of mountain life, where porters carry heavy loads using head-straps and hike in flip-flops, contrasted with the creeping influence of technology as locals use cell phones to document the event [03:10], [05:42].
- Finger Hash: Along the journey, the host also observes the production of local hashish, which is made by hand-rubbing live cannabis plants, a technique similar to the Charas production found in nearby India [04:06].
Watch the full documentary here: The Nepalese Honey That Makes People Hallucinate
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