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Nepal's Mad Honey That Causes Hallucinations (They climb to go insane) — Transcript

by Ruhi Cenet Documentaries · 2,938 words · 486 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

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0:00In the remote high-cliffs of Nepal, only
0:03just 2 weeks a year, a very rare honey
0:05with hallucinogenic effects is
0:07harvested.
0:08Mad honey. This extraordinary honey,
0:11produced by the world's largest honey
0:13bees in the Himalayas, contains very
0:15potent grayanotoxins. These toxins can
0:17distort your senses in unimaginable ways
0:20and send your mind into vivid
0:21hallucinations like hearing voices that
0:23don't exist or seeing the world around
0:25you melting away.
0:35To reach the rare mad honeycombs,
0:37hunters climb hundreds of meters up
0:39unsafe cliffs, relying solely on just a
0:41rope ladder. They use only their bare
0:43hands and feet while bearing countless
0:45painful stings from the giant bees.
0:48Throughout history, locals have used mad
0:50honey in small doses as a cure for
0:52various diseases and an aphrodisiac.
0:54But, the line between its unique healing
0:56capabilities and toxicity is razor thin.
0:59An extra spoon of mad honey might cause
1:01a slowed heart rate, paralysis, or even
1:03loss of life. In the remote village we
1:05are visiting, only one family is left
1:07practicing mad honey hunting. Just like
1:09in this 7,500-year-old
1:11cave painting, their ancient methods
1:13have never changed and their way of
1:15hunting honey is something that you
1:16won't see anywhere else.
1:19After 36 hours of flying and road
1:21tripping, we finally arrived at Tanzi
1:23Village and met the Gurung tribe.
1:25They've migrated and settled here from
1:26Tibet.
1:28How are you?
1:28I am fine.
1:30Your father is the main honey hunter.
1:32Yeah, yeah.
1:33According to their custom, the newcomers
1:35like me must wear an amulet for
1:37protection against harm, illness, and
1:39evil spirits. So, before going honey
1:41hunting, the lady blesses me with water
1:43and ties a thread around my neck. We're
1:45currently heading towards the honey
1:46hunters. We're making our way downhill
1:48along a path with rice terraces.
1:53Here stand three generations of honey
1:55hunters, Budhiman, his father, and his
1:57grandfather. The years of hard work are
1:59visible in his hand.
2:08Every year, he goes to the towering
2:10cliffs to seek mad honey.
2:15Everyone is busy with their tasks right
2:17now. They are getting ready to hunt the
2:19golden potion. Nanda and her father are
2:21making plans to decide which cliff they
2:23will go to while the others prepare the
2:25handmade tools. To create a ladder, they
2:27are carefully fitting these wooden rungs
2:29into the braids of two bamboo ropes,
2:31which are meters long.
2:34At the top of the cliff, Nanda and the
2:36other villagers are making final
2:37preparations. They are firmly securing
2:39the ladder on the trunk of a tree.
2:41Getting the ladder close to the beehives
2:43is crucial.
2:59Meanwhile, others are making a huge
3:01bundle of freshly cut leaves. They place
3:03some chocks in the middle and wrap it
3:04around with a rope. This giant incense
3:06is the only defense of the honey hunter
3:08against the bee colonies.
3:27Has there ever been any incident that
3:29you were caught in a fire?
3:39What was this for?
3:40It's a strap for securing it.
3:42All right. The hunters put on their
3:44beekeeper masks. It's time to go down.
3:46The ladder they use is 80 m long, but
3:48the cliff is taller than that height.
3:50So, Nanda starts his climb from the top
3:52of the cliff instead of starting at the
3:53bottom. I will stay with the group
3:55providing support from below the cliff.
3:57It's better to put the beekeeper suit on
3:59because this place will soon be swarming
4:01with angry bees.
4:02All right.
4:03We're good to go.
4:04The mad honey is produced by Apis
4:06laboriosa, the largest honeybee on
4:08Earth. Being 3 cm tall, this species is
4:11twice as large as the average worker
4:12honeybee and has long stingers that can
4:14easily penetrate clothing.
4:17Their first stop is a ledge right above
4:19the giant beehives. Here they rearrange
4:21the position of the ladder. To make the
4:22ladder stay balanced, Nanda's friend
4:24climbs down to the lowest point of the
4:26rope and waits there.
4:27With this teamwork, they will get the
4:29mad honey and we will be able to taste
4:31it.
4:35Why is it so
5:05The honeycomb surface is covered with
5:07black layer of bees. Consisting of up to
5:09100,000 bees, each colony builds one
5:11vertical exposed comb at the cliffs
5:14reaching up to 1 m in length. Smoke is
5:16rising. The bees have sensed danger and
5:18are now doing their defense wave by
5:20moving their abdomens up and down in
5:22perfect sync to scare off the enemy.
5:24This optical illusion confuses predators
5:26by making the bees appear as a single
5:28massive organism.
5:30The bees are now fighting off my drone.
5:32They are seeing it as a giant buzzing
5:34intruder. It's time for the most
5:35multitasking part of the job. Nanda has
5:38a lot to juggle. He uses two poles, one
5:40to balance the basket. To keep the pole
5:42steady, he uses his foot. And with the
5:44other pole, he is cutting the huge
5:46honeycomb while the bees are furiously
5:48buzzing around. Every time he cuts out
5:50several kilos of honey, bees may sting
5:52him over 100 times each hunt, but he has
5:54to stay stable. The hunter's got to be
5:56quick and careful up there. His only
5:58safety is the rope tied to the bamboo
6:00ladder. Any wrong move could be fatal.
6:15How many years he has been hunting
6:17honey?
6:48If I take a spoon of honey, what
6:50happens?
6:50You become a fainting, vomiting, and
6:53unconscious.
6:54What if I take two spoons?
6:56You don't know anything.
6:57I will be like paralyzed?
6:59Yeah, one day is for like a paralysis.
7:01We're going back. Is it starting
7:03raining?
7:04We don't want our cameras to get wet.
7:06Honey hunters will meet us in village.
7:10Namaste.
7:12So, while he was cooking,
7:15lights went off.
7:16These days, the monsoon rains are about
7:18to take over Nepal. The electricity has
7:20been out for 3 hours now, and it's
7:21starting to get dark. The honey hunters
7:23couldn't return to the village yet. Megu
7:25is cooking some veggies and rice for us
7:27with the help of a flashlight.
7:30Finally, all the hunters have returned
7:32to the village safe and sound after a
7:34long day.
7:34Did the bees sting?
7:39Yeah,
7:40right here.
7:45How much honey did we hunt today?
7:49Will you all go if the weather is good?
7:57Tell us what has happened to your
7:58father.
8:23I was really excited to try mad honey
8:25today, but now it's past 10:00 p.m. and
8:27everyone needs to wake up early for
8:28tomorrow's harvest. Trying it alone at
8:30night might not be safe, especially in a
8:32remote area miles away from the nearest
8:34health facility. So, I have to wait
8:36until tomorrow to give mad honey a go.
8:49We're going to have breakfast.
8:51Uh
8:52it's like 7:00 a.m. in the morning.
8:54After breakfast, we will go for honey
8:55hunting. This time, I'll taste it. We
8:58were there yesterday. Today, which way
9:01are we going to go? The other side?
9:03Other side, yes.
9:04Are we going to climb up or climb down?
9:07Climb down.
9:07All right.
9:08Today, we have a larger group with us.
9:10They believe that today's location will
9:12result in a bigger mad honey harvest.
9:14Now, it's time for the hunters to
9:16sacrifice the chicken.
9:22They're cutting these wood pieces to add
9:25to the ladder. The ladder is so heavy
9:27that even two people can hardly carry
9:29it. While they get the chicken ready,
9:31we're making our way to the cliff where
9:32the honey will be harvested. The path is
9:34much more treacherous today with
9:36slippery grounds.
9:37This bridge has collapsed due to
9:39landslide, but we have to get to the
9:41other side because that's where they
9:43will harvest honey.
9:44Okay, okay. It's all right. It's all
9:46right.
9:49We have to be like synchronized because
9:52we are shaking the bridge. Very
9:54dangerous. You fine?
9:56Yeah, I'm fine. And you?
9:58I am fine.
9:58Yeah.
9:59All right. I'm coming down.
10:01Hop on.
10:02Yeah, I got it. If there's anything more
10:05dangerous than mad honey itself, surely
10:07the way of harvesting it. If he falls
10:10down from that age, there's no way he
10:12can survive. It's at least 100 m. I took
10:15this off, but he told me to put it on
10:18again. Maybe in an hour we will have a
10:20lot of bees flying around. Furious bees.
10:23Even while we were waiting, some bees
10:25had already started to defecate on us.
10:27What you see on his finger is bee feces.
10:29This honey toilet.
10:31So, this is bee poop.
10:33Nanda and the other hunters are back at
10:35it again. The ladder and the flaming
10:37bundle are lowered. The mad honey
10:38harvest has begun.
10:39See how he fixes this stick with his
10:42foot.
10:43Amazing. He's like an acrobat there.
10:46Grayanotoxins come from the nectar of
10:48rhododendron flowers that bloom in the
10:49Himalayas, and it takes about 4 million
10:52flower visits for the bees to make just
10:541 kg of honey. An average worker bee
10:56produces only 1/20 of a tablespoon of
10:58honey in its entire lifetime. So, it's
11:00not surprising that the 200 g of rare
11:02harvest mad honey, which has the highest
11:04amount of grayanotoxins that I am about
11:07to taste, is currently being sold on the
11:09market for approximately $400. However,
11:12it's a sad fact that hunters risking
11:14their lives earn less than $50 per
11:16person by selling kilograms of honey.
11:21Here comes a basket full of honey
11:23straight up from the cliff. The team is
11:25now extracting the mad honey. They use a
11:27straw sieve to filter out larva, dead
11:29bees, insects, and other impurities, and
11:31store it in the plastic jerry can. It's
11:33finally time to taste the mad honey.
11:35This is where things get really
11:36exciting. It has a slight bitter taste
11:38with sweetness. I can really feel the
11:40grayanotoxin kick in almost immediately.
11:42It's tingling, right?
11:44Yeah. There's a different texture.
11:47It slowly burns your mouth.
11:48It already started as you said. It's
11:50like eating something spicy.
11:53Yeah.
11:53But there's a risk I didn't think about.
12:03I definitely don't want to experience
12:04temporary paralysis or unconsciousness
12:06out here in the middle of nowhere. So,
12:08I'm moving fast.
12:09When you get intoxicated with this
12:11honey, you'll be like dead for 12 hours.
12:14You cannot move your body.
12:16Yeah. It'll be hard for us to help you
12:18carry you this mountain.
12:21Will that amount high?
12:22Even that amount.
12:23Sometimes, yes.
12:24We have a lot of way to go back. We are
12:26hurrying to return to the village. I
12:28hope my body does not give up. Since we
12:30climbed up high enough, we're going to
12:31take a quick break here. We will eat the
12:33chicken which was sacrificed before the
12:35honey harvest.
12:36Take it, brother. Thank you, brother.
12:38He was stung several times and a painful
12:40one was right on his lower lip. It's
12:42visibly swollen. Eating something will
12:44slow down the absorption of the mad
12:46honey and the grayanotoxin entering my
12:48bloodstream. So, we can keep going with
12:50less rush. Mad honey is considered the
12:52earliest known biological weapon. In 67
12:55BC, as the Romans invaded the Black Sea
12:57region, the soldiers of the kingdom of
12:59Pontus placed mad honeycombs along the
13:01path of the Roman army. The Romans
13:03couldn't resist, became intoxicated,
13:05lost their guard, and their lives were
13:07ended tragically.
13:08When I have the perfect dose, I see more
13:10clearly. I feel
13:12active mentally and I can work more. I
13:14can focus more. I use it as a meditative
13:17purpose.
13:18What's the right dose?
13:19It depends on the honey. This one is
13:20very strong. One tablespoon is okay for
13:22me. If you overeat, then it's going to
13:25be very bad for you.
13:26I finally got to the entrance of the
13:28village without any trouble, and here I
13:30go for one last dose of mad honey here.
13:32This time, I'm not holding back and
13:34squeezing a generous amount of mad honey
13:36into my mouth. I ate a lot, right?
13:43I don't know if it's too much,
13:46but I already swallowed the entire
13:48thing.
13:49I hope I won't get
13:51really sick.
13:53The taste is really really really
13:55bitter, and it makes me cough a lot.
13:58We'll wait, and I'll tell you my
14:00experience with all the details.
14:08Your body will start to heat first.
14:10You'll feel tingling, but it highly
14:12varies.
14:12Do you think that I consumed a lot of
14:14honey?
14:15That's a decent amount of what we will
14:16see. Makeu consumed like a small spoon
14:18of the same honey, and he is throwing
14:20up.
14:20So, what I will feel is totally a
14:22surprise. Everybody experiences it
14:24differently. Let's give it some time and
14:25see what happens. While we wait for mad
14:28honey to kick in, I got really exciting
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15:50It's been a few hours since I ate the
15:52mad honey and last I checked Megu was
15:54feeling sick. I'm going to see how he's
15:56doing now.
15:58How are you feeling, man?
15:59Not good. Not good.
16:00How much did you consume?
16:02Uh little bit. Just
16:04I consumed more than that. You want to
16:06sleep? We can leave you alone. Cold.
16:09And my leg
16:13my finger
16:15very cold.
16:16So, can you stand up?
16:18No. No. No.
16:19I feel thirsty. If I drink water, it
16:21would
16:21Don't drink water. As you say, I feel
16:23thirsty. I drink water. I vomiting. Then
16:26again vomiting. Then again vomiting. 10
16:29time I vomiting.
16:30Soon after I started showing similar
16:31symptoms to Megu. My body temperature
16:33dropped suddenly and I wrapped myself
16:35tightly in the first blanket I could
16:37find.
16:38Is coughing normal?
16:39You want some water? Tea?
16:41Yes. Look, this is hot.
16:43Yes.
16:44I don't feel any heat
16:47on my fingertips.
16:49I can hold it like this for hours.
16:51You hold it here and I hold it here. Who
16:53can keep longer?
16:54You still holding?
16:57In the human body, grayanotoxin disrupts
17:00sodium channel activity in cell
17:01membranes and prevents neurons and
17:03muscle cells from communicating and
17:05functioning properly. That's why my
17:07fingertips are currently insensitive to
17:09heat and have abnormal sensations like
17:11tingling and numbness and I feel this
17:13effect slowly spreads throughout my
17:14body.
17:15Take it, man. Take it.
17:17I feel very hot now.
17:19Can I touch you Megu?
17:27I first felt like I was burning.
17:30So,
17:31I tried to take off my shirt.
17:34And then after a little moment, I was
17:36feeling cold. The lady also had a
17:38spoonful of the mad honey we harvested
17:40today. She seems to be in good spirits.
17:59Our host is definitely benefiting more
18:01from mad honey than I am. She's now in a
18:03euphoric state. How old is she? It's so
18:06rude to ask. I'm sorry.
18:17What's she saying?
18:18She's saying
18:32Is she comfortable with us filming her?
18:44I have a headache here from my forehead
18:47to my left eye.
18:49So,
18:50I I don't want to keep my eye open.
18:53I'm dealing with pain all over my body.
18:55Seconds feel like hours, and I slightly
18:57lose my track of time. The effects are
18:59growing more intense, and I'm starting
19:01to feel sick. I've suddenly begun
19:03throwing up.
19:06Grayanotoxin doesn't have an antidote.
19:08Most of the time the body can tolerate
19:10it, but there are rare cases where it
19:11can cause heart failure. To enjoy the
19:13medicinal benefits without side effects,
19:15it's best to stick to your doctor's
19:17recommendations. Fortunately, my body
19:19cleared the poison within 24 hours, and
19:21I felt much better the next day despite
19:23a night filled with headaches, nausea,
19:25and ringing in my ears. Mad honey isn't
19:27easy to come by. It requires skilled and
19:29brave individuals to harvest it from
19:31cliffside hives. The Gurungs preserve a
19:33rich cultural legacy that I hope will be
19:35passed down to future generations.
19:38Don't forget to download the game that
19:40my game development has created, The
19:42Last Drop. Go play it on Steam now. I'm
19:45sure you will have a great time. The
19:46link to the game is at the very top of
19:48the description box of this video. See
19:50you on the leaderboard of The Last Drop.
19:52Ruhi Cennet was here.

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