Mysterious 'crazy honey' in the Himalayas

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Honey has been used all over the world for its medicinal properties for over five thousand years. Whether it is an allergy or an injury, honey is used in medicine as much as any other food. The first food of a newborn baby is the companion of the pharaohs of Egypt in the hereafter - the use of honey seems to be omnipresent.

But you will be surprised to know that there is a honey found in the remote mountainous region of Nepal, which feels strange intoxication when played. You can also lose real-unreal knowledge if you eat more than a certain amount!

Beehive; Image Source: scoopwhoop.com

Everyone sees Nepal, the daughter of the Himalayas, as a bridge between spirituality and the mysterious world. Amidst Nepal's rugged terrain and unique biodiversity, there are some things that are not found anywhere else in the world. One such thing is 'crazy honey'!

The largest bee in the world, Apis dorsata laboriosa, lives in a remote mountain valley in the Himalayas. These bees are found in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, Bhutan, India, and China's Yunnan Province at 8,200 to 9,800 feet. However, Nepal has the largest species of bees, up to three centimeters long. But not the size, the specialty of these bees is actually elsewhere!

Mad honey-producing bees; Image Source: wikipedia.org

These bees collect honey from the flowers of a tree called rhododendron, which contains a toxic compound called granotoxin. Granotoxins can cause hallucinations. This granotoxin mixed honey has therefore been used for thousands of years in various regions as a medical product. And this honey is collected only by the people of the Kulung tribe of Nepal, only twice a year.

The Kulung tribe lives in the foothills of the Annapurna mountain range, a remote mountainous region in the Himalayas of Nepal. Only members of this tribe risk their lives to climb thousands of feet to collect honey. This honey collection is part of their culture. This is not the only way to make a living. They do so out of some folklore and religious beliefs.

External connections were made with this isolated town just over a decade ago. Since then, the region's honey has become popular in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Although honey from this region has long been used medicinally in China, Japan, and Korea.

One beekeeper trying to collect mad honey; Image Source © Eric Tourneret / Caters News

This sweet mention is found in the writings of Zenfone, Aristotle and Strabo. Xenophon, in his famous book Anabis, mentions a Greek soldier who fell ill after drinking such a honey in what is now Turkey, and recovered a few hours later. It was as if they were in a trance. As a result, the army thought it was a magical honey.

When Pompeii, the Roman army chief, invaded the kingdom of King Mithridates in Asia Minor in 69 BC, King Mithridates tricked the Roman army into drinking the honey and attacking it.

In many western countries this honey is considered as a medicinal product. Before eating in the morning, many people drink a small amount mixed with warm milk.

Drinking this honey causes different reactions in the body. Although no one has been seen to be sick of Nepali honey like Turkey honey, this honey causes drowsiness, increased saliva in the mouth and slowed heartbeat. Besides, many people say that something unreal happens in front of their eyes when they drink too much.

A reporter for the HBO channel's Vice Documentary commented that drinking this honey gives the feeling of a lot of drug use, but much slower. Many believe that this honey also increases sexual energy. Although Nepali honey is grown in the world on the basis of this myth, no research has been done on this special use of honey till date.

Bees in the Himalayas collect many types of honey. What kind of honey will it be- it depends on which season the bees are collecting honey from which flower. In spring, the blue and pink flowers of rhododendrons (the national flower of Nepal) spread to the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal. The pollen and honey of this flower attract the giant bees here. The bees swarm around and collect flower honey and pollen. Then he collects the honey and hangs it on the hill.

Rhododendron; Image Source: .wikipedia.org

Collecting this honey is a very difficult task. The villagers collect honey in groups, but only twice a year. There are about 30 people in the team. Everyone prays to the goddess Rankemi before going to collect honey. They believe he will save them. Then a journey of about four hours up the steep hill. Then the desired place, from where the preparation for honey collection will begin.

This tradition of collecting honey is as ancient as the clothes of the ancient honey collectors. They have no protective clothing to protect themselves from such large bee attacks. The one who gets such clothes at hand, works with it. Even in the heat of summer, after wearing winter sweaters and trousers, some people protect their heads and eyes by making them look like helmets with mosquito nets and buses.

Honey collection clothing; Image Source: nationalgeographic.com

Nesting in the mountains, bees collect honey from hanging bees. Collecting honey from here is risky. However, some fearless people collect honey at the risk of their lives due to thousands of years of tradition and faith. At first they made hanging ladders with wild vines and bamboo. At present, however, the use of fiber rope is increasing in making ladders.

Ladder making equipment; Image Source: ERIC TOURNERET / CATERS NEWS

They hang the ladder close to the mountain, where there are bees. Then, under the direction of a team leader, the team members began to descend the ladder slowly. Some have a 25-foot-long bamboo in their hand, with a knife tied to its head to cut the beehive.

Someone has a bamboo basket on his back and a few handfuls of burning straw in his hand. Everyone wears heavy and thick clothes. They reach the beehive in such a risky situation, on the one hand, in the heat of the day, on the other hand, handling baskets and bamboo in one hand. But the real problem starts from here.

Climbing; Image Source: ERIC TOURNERET / CATERS NEWS

The closer they get to the hive, the more aggressive the bees become. They get lost in the hay smoke. These three-centimeter-long bees attack everyone with their venomous stings. Although it is impossible for an ordinary person to hold a bamboo and rope ladder in one hand thousands of feet above sea level in this situation, the people of the Kulung tribe do the work with difficulty. The honey-filled beehive fell into the basket held under the bamboo knife.

Beekeeping; Image Source: Daily Mail

With each bite, thousands of bees begin to attack. The bee attack cannot stop their patchwork. However, these people stop only if they collect enough honey. When everyone climbs the mountain with life, everyone is exhausted. Everyone has at least four or five bee stings. Everyone then went to the river and cleaned themselves. However, all fatigue-suffering is removed by drinking this nectar!

Honey collection; Image Source: scoopwhoop.com

About 100 to 200 gallons of honey are collected in just three days in one season. The honey is then filtered to separate it from the remains of bees and dead bees. After three days of work, the journey started with this honey towards the village.

Collected honey; Image Source: Curiosity

The only way to sell this honey abroad is through the only educated person in their village - Jangi. He is the one who sells and buys honey. Among the people of this village, he has his only house in the town. No one knows how much he earns. No one is looking for how much money he sells this honey. The villagers only need edible oil, batteries, noodles and beer!

However, this 'crazy honey' does not drive the tribals crazy. Although this honey collection may seem crazy at the risk of their lives, they are not as addicted to it as ordinary people. Maybe drinking year after year has less of an effect on them. But it is understandable that they are in a trance.

To the outside world this honey is like a natural form of LSD. The demand for herbal medicine is not low. However, due to the risk of life and lack of financial security compared to that, the people of Kulung tribe are gradually trying to give up this profession. As a result, without the sincere patronage of honey importers and exporters, it will be difficult to sustain this ancient tradition.

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Very interesting bee story!

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