erg

Here's yet another reason why I have way too much local honey.

I'm trying to avoid Mad Honey poisoning. ;/

A teaspoon of natural honey may poison you
By Jeremy Laurance

21 October 2004

An outbreak of "mad" honey poisoning from the Black Sea area of Turkey is reportedin the Emergency Medicine Journal. Researchers warn the problem is likely to spread to other countries because of the demand for natural or unprocessed imported honey.

Researchers from Abbant Izzet Baysal University in Turkey, describe 19 patients admitted to hospital who suffered nausea, vomiting slowed heart rate and fainting after eating honey. The researchers say they had been poisoned with andromedotoxins found in the leaves and flowers of plants and extracted by bees.

"Mad" honey is used in the Black sea region as a sexual stimulant and as a treatment for stomach and bowel problems. Fifteen of the patients had been diagnosed with duodenal ulcers which, according to local tradition, can be healed by continuous eating of honey.

The authors say it is unclear how much is necessary for a toxic dose but it may be as little as a teaspoon.

What I actually have is pretty rare these days because the crops haven't been so good the last couple of years: Castro honey bears.

The owner of the honey company didn't know what a "Bear" means to the community, and this honey happens to harden, creating a milky coloration, so they didn't sell this in a bear bottle. I think my first order was for a dozen, the next for nearly another dozen and then a third order just so they would, in taking the time to make these batches up for me, make some up for sale for everyone else.

Of course, now I have a bunch of honey, most of it as gifts for Bears. This means to actually have honey to eat and honey to give to other folks, I had to continue to buy more.
I'm not an addict, I'm a small local niche market supporter.
Really. I put orchata in with heavy whipping cream into my coffee tonight, but no honey. No gas stove to keep a ready pour.