The Nepalese Honey That Makes People Hallucinate

Nepals Gurung people live mostly in small villages in the vast Annapurna mountain ranges. In this remote region, they practice an ancient tradition of honey hunting where they descend towering cliffs on handmade ladders, to harvest honey nestled under jagged overhangs. In spring, the Gurungs honey contains a rare substance called grayanotoxin from rhododendron flowers thats known for its intoxicating effects. While some accounts say its a deadly poison, others refer to it as an aphrodisiac, powerful medicine, and a hallucinogenic drug. VICE travelled deep into the Annapurna mountains to join a Gurung village on their spring hunt and understand Mad Honey s effects. WATCH NEXT: Searching for Montenegro s Illegal Blast Fishermen: Click here to subscribe to VICE: Check out our full video catalog: Videos, daily editorial and more: More videos from the VICE network: Like VICE on Fa