Nepal's Mad Honey Triggers Hallucinations

In the Himalayas of Nepal, honey hunters make dangerous vertical climbs up sheer cliffs to harvest "mad honey," a reddish and slightly bitter substance that can cause hallucinations. Bees produce it after feeding on rhododendron flowers containing grayanotoxin, which can also slow the heartbeat and cause temporary paralysis or unconsciousness in larger amounts. Hunters endure attacks from enormous bees while collecting the cliffside honeycombs. The honey can sell for $60 to $80 per pound on black markets in some Asian countries because of its traditional medicinal reputation.

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