Red honey is a curiosity for many in Russia. It has a slight reddish tint (sometimes brown) and a pleasant floral scent. But this honey is popular and expensive not because of its color or unusual coloration. Twice a year, miners from the Himalayas, risking their lives, climb steep cliffs for a few liters of this precious product.

Composition

Wild bees collect nectar on several plants, but rhododendron (2 species - yellow and pontic) gives honey special properties, the pollen and juice of which contains the hallucinogen andromedotoxin. In moderate doses it is a medicinal product, and in higher doses it is a narcotic substance. Otherwise, it is ordinary honey, which is a mixture of sugars, pollen, etc.

Hallucinogenic properties

The main distinguishing property that Himalayan honey has is its hallucinogenic effect on the human body. At small doses, it is expressed in a pleasant tingling sensation of the tongue, in a local anesthetic effect. As the dose is increased, hallucinogenic honey begins to work more strongly. Travelers describe the effect of an average dose of the product on the body as a feeling of mild euphoria. From their words, it follows that a person first freezes, and then he is thrown into a fever, burns especially in the abdomen. This action lasts for several hours. With a further increase in the dose, vomiting, diarrhea, cold sweat and severe hallucinations occur, which will not be awakened earlier than in a day.

Important! You can buy the product online from sellers in Nepal, China and other countries. Before deciding to buy, in order to avoid major troubles, you need to find out how anti-drug legislation relates to such transactions.

Himalayan bees

This honey is produced by the giant Himalayan bees - Apis dorsata. Despite the loud name, they are not much larger than ordinary relatives - they have a size of 3 cm. This bee lives in Nepal at an altitude of 200 to 1200 m, builds honeycombs on trees, rocks, tall buildings.

How honey is obtained

Not a single beekeeper in the region receives this honey in his apiary. It is hunted by "hunters" who reach giant honeycombs located at a height of several hundred meters, showing remarkable dexterity and special skill. All this is for the sake of bee honey, which costs about 4 times more than usual.

Red honey

Benefit and harm

The product has a wide range of useful actions. It is taken orally to treat:

  • colds;
  • diseases of the cardiovascular system;
  • respiratory diseases, cough;
  • to cleanse the body of toxins in case of poisoning;
  • stress.

Also, the product is considered a powerful immunostimulant for the body.

Important! It is used externally for skin diseases as a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory agent.

For cosmetic purposes, it can be used as a component for masks for face, body, hair, as well as rubbing during massage.

The harm from honey is due to its narcotic, hallucinogenic effects, especially when taken orally in large doses.

Contraindications

Like any other species, this variety should not be consumed by those suffering from diabetes. Also, you can not give it to children, women during pregnancy and lactation.

Nepalese honey can be harmful in case of heart disease, hypertension, and allergic reactions. There is also an individual intolerance to honey.

Important! Overdose should not be allowed - this can lead not only to hallucinations, but also to other complications, including cardiac arrest.

From all of the above, it follows that this is a useful, but dangerous product. Whether to buy it or not is difficult to answer. There are many other types of honey that are not inferior in their properties to red. However, this is not an argument for exotic lovers. Be that as it may, before acquiring it is still worth weighing all the pros and cons so that later there will be no problems with the drug police.