A bear cub in Turkey had a trip of a lifetime last week. She got his paws on some “mad honey” that threw her for a loop so hard, her psychedelic experience ended up on the Washington Post. And People Mag. And many other sites and Instagrams.
The bear has achieved psychedelic fame. The Guardian reports that the bear was rescued on Thursday after it was believed to have become intoxicated following consumption of an excessive amount of a product known in Turkish as “deli bal.”
The honey is made by beekeepers in the Kaçkar mountains near the Black Sea. That’s where a species of rhododendron flowers produce a neurotoxin called grayanotoxin — that’s the compound that makes people trip. The honey is then produced when bees pollinate the rhododendron flowers containing the neurotoxin. A magnificent phenomenon of nature.
Mad Honey from the region of Kaçkar is the most expensive honey in the world, costing $166 per pound, and when it is consumed it can cause “feelings of euphoria and even hallucinations” along with “light-headedness,” according to anthropology professor Vaughn Bryant, People reports.
The honey has more uses than triggering a psychedelic trip. It’s often used medicinally to treat a number of health-related issues, including hypertension and impotence or erectile dysfunction.
Over consuming mad honey can cause vomiting, diarrhea, loss of consciousness, seizures, and in rare cases, death. So, if you get your hands on some, don’t overdo it.
Obur ayının sonu veteriner kliniği oldu
Düzce'nin Yığılca ilçesinde acı bal üretimi yapan arıcıların kovanlarındaki balı yiyen ayı bayıldı. Orman İşletme Müdürlüğü ekiplerince alınan ayı kamyonetin kasasına konulurken, sarhoş halleri gülümsetti. Ayının tedavisi sürüyor. pic.twitter.com/hoChzjdRMo
— dokuz8haber (@dokuz8haber) August 10, 2022
The bear cub was found on the side of the road laying facedown on the ground and then sitting up facing the bushes, mostly incapacitated. She was picked up by two men who put her in the back of their truck and took her to the vet. While the cub is in the back of the truck, she’s seen sitting upright in an almost human-like position with her eyes wide open like big saucers. Footage of the bear in the aftermath of the apparent consumption was shared on Twitter by dokuz8Haber, a Turkish media outlet.
The Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry shared footage of the bear on Twitter, and confirmed that she was “in good health” and being treated by their team, according to a translation of the text.
After proposing to give the bear a name they later tweeted that they are calling her “Balkız.” To the world, she will always be the Mad Honey Bear.
