An excerpt from a newsletter -
Honey can kill.
You heard me right... honey has the ability (if
that's the right word) to poison you.
But before you go sticking up WANTED posters
of your local bee, don't worry... the honey that's
most likely to cause you harm comes from
Turkey, in a region by the Black Sea.
And it's the flowers that are causing the problem.
Toxins found in local rhododendrons and azaleas
are poisonous to us frail humans. These toxins are
known as grayanotoxins - and just a spoonful of
this stuff can be dangerous.
Symptoms can include hallucinations;
convulsions, low blood pressure and fainting, and
can last around a day.
They call it Mad Honey Disease, and it seems to
be on the increase.
Now before you get alarmed, these numbers are
small. Only 58 cases have ever been reported. But
of those 58, 8 were treated in the last year alone.
And here's the ironic thing... the rise in frequency
has been put down to an increase in the popularity
of natural products!
Still, let's get this in context.
Honey is still one of the most powerful natural
remedies in the world. But if you go to Turkey on
holiday, perhaps you should think twice about
bringing pots of the stuff back as gifts!
That's it for today. Have a great weekend, and I'll
be back very soon indeed.
Until then,
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
PS: Don't forget to check out new articles on my
website: https://www.goodlifeletter.co.uk
Honey can kill.
You heard me right... honey has the ability (if
that's the right word) to poison you.
But before you go sticking up WANTED posters
of your local bee, don't worry... the honey that's
most likely to cause you harm comes from
Turkey, in a region by the Black Sea.
And it's the flowers that are causing the problem.
Toxins found in local rhododendrons and azaleas
are poisonous to us frail humans. These toxins are
known as grayanotoxins - and just a spoonful of
this stuff can be dangerous.
Symptoms can include hallucinations;
convulsions, low blood pressure and fainting, and
can last around a day.
They call it Mad Honey Disease, and it seems to
be on the increase.
Now before you get alarmed, these numbers are
small. Only 58 cases have ever been reported. But
of those 58, 8 were treated in the last year alone.
And here's the ironic thing... the rise in frequency
has been put down to an increase in the popularity
of natural products!
Still, let's get this in context.
Honey is still one of the most powerful natural
remedies in the world. But if you go to Turkey on
holiday, perhaps you should think twice about
bringing pots of the stuff back as gifts!
That's it for today. Have a great weekend, and I'll
be back very soon indeed.
Until then,
Yours as ever,
Ray Collins
The Good Life Letter
PS: Don't forget to check out new articles on my
website: https://www.goodlifeletter.co.uk