A small spoonful of ‘Mel Louco’ or taken with hot water or boiled milk is enough to induce a mildly hallucinogenic or euphoric state. (Credit: Reproduction/Disclosure)
A disoriented brown bear cub, believed to have become intoxicated after eating an excessive amount of “crazy honey”, was rescued in Turkey’s northwest Duzce province on Thursday.
Footage showed the bear swaying and whimpering as it sat on its back in the back of a pickup truck after people rescued the visibly weakened animal from the forest.
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Mad honey, or “deli bal” in Turkish, is produced in small amounts by beekeepers in the Kaçkar Mountains above the Black Sea, the only place in the world beyond the foothills of the Himalayas where native rhododendron species produce a potent neurotoxin called grayanotoxin.
A small spoonful alone or taken with hot water or boiled milk is enough to induce a mildly hallucinogenic or euphoric state.
It is usually taken before breakfast as a traditional treatment for hypertension, impotence and various other conditions.
18th century Europeans called it miel fou, importing it from the Ottomans to add extra flair to beer.
In excess, however, it can lower blood pressure to potentially dangerous levels and induce nausea, fainting, seizures, arrhythmia and, in rare cases, death. Dozens of people a year are admitted to hospital in Turkey for mad honey poisoning.
The distressed bear was taken to a vet, where she was treated. Officials said the animal was in good condition and would likely be released into the wild in the coming days.
Turkey’s Ministry of Agriculture used Twitter to ask citizens to come up with a name for the bear.
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