A few years ago I read an article about "Mad Honey".
Now, if you don't know; mad honey is a rare semi-toxic medicinal and hallucinogenic honey made from the pollen of the rhododendron plant.
Grayanotoxins are polyhydroxylated cyclic diterpenes. They bind to specific sodium ion channels in cell membranes, the receptor sites involved in activation and inactivation. The grayanotoxin prevents inactivation, leaving excitable cells depolarized.Ito, S.; Nakazato, Y.; Ohga, A. (1981)
Hailing from West Virginia, rhododendrons are our state flower and they are quite literally fucking everywhere. I can look out my window and see one right now.
So this gave me an idea..
What if I could set up a beehive right next to these rhododendrons and try to get mad mead?
BUT WAIT.. Theres more!
I wanted to take it a step further and use the mad honey to make some mad mead.
Mead was once considered a drink of the gods, and has a medicinal value itself.
Never have I heard of this drink of the fucking gods, but every time I think about it I get goosebumps. I have just recently started cultivating my own medicinal herbs and fungus, but this is my ultimate goal.
What do you guys think? Have you had any experiences with mad honey? any knowledge?