Transcript Mad Honeyx

The Honey Made Me Go Mad!
POISONOUS HONEY, ITS HISTORICAL
AND SOCIAL CONTEXTS, AND ITS
TOXIC ORIGINS1
People the world over have eaten honey for millenia.
Some claim that honey has healing and medicinal
powers, such as killing bacteria, alleviating arthritis,
reducing allergies, lowering cholesterol, increasing
virility and enhancing pleasure.
But some honey is toxic...
While some claims about medicinal qualities
are shown to be true in scientific literature,
others are pure folklore.
The folklore persists, with people seeking
out toxic honey, believing that it will open their
minds or improve their romantic relationships.
The Earliest Information…
When Xenophon’s Army Got Sick:
The Account That Went Down in History3
Xenophon, a well known general of the Greek army of 5th
century BCE, was one of the first people to record
information about toxic honey.
In Anabasis, an account of his expeditions against the
Persian Empire, he writes about his soldiers poisoned from
honey during his retreat from Babylon in 401 BC.
They stopped to rest near an enchanting forest full of
beehives. The soldiers took honey from the hives, ate it,
and got terribly ill. Xenophon describes dizziness,
vomiting, seizing, “drunkenness” and “madness.”
Folklore and Culture
In spite of Xenophon’s earliest account, people continue to talk about the
supposed benefits of mad honey...
Around the Mediterranean, the Middle East, New Zealand and parts of
Southeast Asia, the Black Sea region of Turkey, and in China and Tibet,
among other places, “mad honey” is sometimes intentionally eaten
because people mistakenly think that it:
- Is a mind opening drug
- Enhances sexual pleasure
- Increases virility
The huge majority of cases of honey poisoning that reach scientific
journals come from Turkey. But, remember – the way that honey becomes
toxic is not endemic to Turkey. What seems to flourish in Turkey more than
other places are specious rumors about “deli bal,” mad honey.
So, how does honey become toxic? Is it the bees?
Toxins travel. The toxin responsible for turning honey
travels far before it is ingested.
Honey bees make honey from the pollen and nectar of
flowering plants. The bees carry pollen and nectar all
over their bodies back to the hive, where it gets into
the honey.
It was discovered long ago that certain pollens contain
a toxin, later named Grayanotoxin, that bees
unwittingly transfer into the honey.
It’s not the bees. It’s a family of plants.
Hmm, those leaves look familiar…
What kind of tree is this swarm
hanging from???
Ericacea: A Large Family…
Grayanotoxin is found on the leaves, and in the nectar and pollen of a very
large family of plants called the Ericaceas. Ericacea are native not only to the
Mediterranean and Black Sea regions of Europe and the Middle East, but to
many regions of the world.
The most notable of the Ericacea are the many Rhododendron species, which
include Azaleas. However, grayanotoxin has been found in other species
belonging to the Ericacea family.
Because it has been found on leaves as well as flowers, there is some
question as to whether only flowering plants carry grayanotoxin.
Here is one common taxonomical classification for this family of plants (I’ve
come across more than one):
Plantae Embryophyta Magnoliopsida Ericales Ericaceae
So, where there are flowering Ericaceas, there may be toxic
honey.
Grayanotoxin: Another Large Family
• Scientific articles from the early and mid 20th century are characterized by a
debate about how many toxins from Rhododendron exist, and about their
similarities and differences.
• Early terms referring to different grayanotoxins, which are still used today
are: andromedotoxin; rhodotoxin; acetylandromedol and grayanol.
At present, these terms loosely refer to the same toxins…
• …Because, scientists now use a system of Roman numerals and subtypes to
identify types of grayanotoxin. Examples:
Grayanotoxin III Subtype II
Grayanotoxin I Subtype V
• Over thirty types of grayanotoxin have been identified.
• Grayanotoxin is a neurotoxin and muscle cell toxin.
Grayanotoxin: A nerve and muscle cell toxin.
Grayanotoxin is a plant toxin that acts as a neurotoxin and
muscle cell toxin. Its most noted mechanism of action is
the depolarization of sodium (Na+) channels in the cell
membrane.
Chemists call grayanotoxins3
diterpenes or diterpenoids. They
are a group of organic molecules
containing a long chain of about
20 Carbon atoms with branching
methyl and hydroxyl groups.
Isoprene  Terpene  Diterpene/Diterpenoid
• Diterpenes are compounds made of Terpenes, molecules with
the molecular structure C10H6.
• Terpenes are made of Isoprenes, a small molecule with
structure C5H8.
Here are more pictures of grayanotoxin molecules, along with molecular
structure of some similar lipid-soluble neurotoxins…4
grayanotoxin iii
grayanotoxin ix
As you can see, most grayanotoxin is fairly simple in structure.
These are images of the voltage-gated Na+ channel…
Grayanotoxin keeps the Sodium ion channel in a permanent state of depolarization and
activation, until the toxin clears from the body.
Most grayanotoxins bind to the Type 2 binding site of the ion channel.
When permanently activated, the channel can’t do its job of balancing ion concentration, and
therefore electrical charge, across the cell. This has numerous effects throughout the body.
The Absorption and Distribution of Grayanotoxin
All cases of honey poisoning or grayanotoxin poisoning in
humans and animals are due to eating contaminated
honey (in the case of humans,) or eating the leaves and
flowers of Ericacea (in the case of goats, sheep, or wild
boars, for example).
Grayanotoxin is absorbed in the gastrointestinal system of
a host organism, and transferred to the blood, which
carries it to target cell sites.
It is feasible that a very large amount of the toxin spread
over the skin could lead to signs and symptoms of
toxicity. But, reports of this are hard to come by.
Action and Effects
By putting Na+ channels in the central nervous system in a
permanent state of activation (depolarization), grayanotoxin
has far reaching effects on the respiratory and cardiovascular
systems.
• Although it competes for ligands in muscle cells as well, the
toxin’s effects on respiratory and cardiac activity (the heart
and lungs), originate in the nervous system.
• The biggest danger is a heart attack due to bradycardia.
• Sinus bradycardia may also occur.
• Unpleasant, but non-life-threatening effects include
stinging in the mouth and throat, salivation, blurry vision,
nausea and vomiting.
• Other symptoms of toxic honey poisoning include dizziness,
confusion and in rare cases, hallucinations.
How Is Grayanotoxin Metabolized?
• Grayanotoxin in processed by the 2 phases of
biotransformation.
• As toxins go, grayanotoxin clears very rapidly
from the body, from a couple hours to one
day.
• Length of metabolism and severity and danger
of toxicity depend on the size of the dose.
• Humans with honey poisoning have usually
eaten from 5 to 30 grams of grayanotoxin.
Elimination: How can you flush it out more quickly?
• Fluids.
• Activated Charcoal. A very dry, porous form of carbon
is sometimes administered for the first 24 hours. It is
highly absorbent, and is meant to soak up fluids in the
body containing the grayanotoxin.
• In extreme cases, pumping the stomach. Used when a
patient isn’t vomiting on their own, or if they have
ingested a very large quantity of toxin.
• Waiting. A lot of cases that present in the emergency
room are not as serious as they feel. Doctors have
sometimes chosen to treat very uncomfortable and
upset patients with fluids and supervision alone!
Are There Ericacea in New Mexico?
Yes. 
This is a “Texas Madrone”.
(just one kind of Ericacea)
Other species include:
Texas Madrone Arbutus xalapensis
Arizona Madrone Arbutus arizonica
The “strawberry tree” Arbutus marina
And NM gardeners sometimes grow
Non-Native species in their gardens.
So, watch your honey, beekeepers!
Are you a beek?
“What can I do as a beekeeper?”
1. Get to know fellow beekeepers in your state or
region.
2. Familiarize yourself with the flowering, pollen- and
nectar-generating plants in your environment –
where do your bees fly?
3. If there are Ericaceas in your area, share honey!
Sharing honey with other beekeepers dilutes the
concentrations of toxin that may exist in a single
batch.
Endnotes (Images)
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Azalea bush. http://www.flickr.com/photos/8002022@N05/3798940664
The Persian Army: The Return of the 10,000 Under Xenophon http://karenswhimsy.com/persianarmy.shtm
http://texasento.net/bee-swarm.html
The Persian Empire, 490 B.C. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophon
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0898656802000852
Terpenes. http://www.nky-kk.co.jp/terpene.jpg
Voltage-gated sodium channel.
https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/230/Membrane+Potential,+Ion+Transport+and+Nerve+Impulse
Texas Madrone. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_xalapensis
Spoonful of Honey.http://xeniagreekmuslimah.wordpress.com/2010/10/12/foods-mentioned-in-thequr%E2%80%99an-the-amazing-honey/
Can’t Sleep? http://fiercegreymouse.blogspot.com/2012/01/insomnia-cant-sleep.html
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Thank You! to the reference librarians at Zimmerman and Centennial libraries for helping
me use all the tools available to me.
Yes, it’s true. Honey does have medicinal qualities. Its antibacterial and antifungal properties can
soothe a sore throat or help heal a wound. Drink tea with honey.