Op-073 Mad Honey Poisoning

Antimicrobial Properties of Honey

“…12 Honey has been reported to contain about 600 compounds, 17 including a number of carbohydrates [the sweetness is contributed mainly by fructose (about 38.5%) and glucose (about 31.0%); other carbohydrates include erlose, gentiobiose, isomaltose, isomaltotriose, 1-kestose, 6-kestose, kojibiose, maltose, maltotetraose, maltotriose, maltulose, melibiose, melizitose, nigerose, palatinose, panose, raffinose, sucrose, theanderose, trehalose, and turanose], proteins, arabinogalactan proteins, lipids, and minerals (boron, calcium, chloride, fluoride, iron, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, sodium, and sulfur), as well as trace elements (aluminum, boron, bromine, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silicon, vanadium, and zinc). [64][65][66] Monofloral honey from almond blossoms is bitter as it contains amygdalin. 7,18-62 Because honey also contains some propolis, bee pollen and wax, compounds contained in these substances (such as aromatic acids including benzylcinnamate, caffeic acid, cinnamylcinnamate, cinnamoylglycine, methycinnamate, terpenoids, flavonoids, etc), may also be found in honey.…”

“…A number of cases of anaphylaxis (urticaria, angioedema, bronchitis, cough, and wheezing), pruritic cheilitis, bronchial asthma, and dysphagia have been reported in both adults and young subjects consuming honey [318][319][320][321][322] ; in many of these cases, hypersensitivity was associated with the floral source of honey. [64][65][66] For example, grayanotoxin intoxication, which is mostly reported from the eastern Black Sea region of Turkey (as well as Japan, Nepal, Brazil, and some parts of Europe), stems from consumption of "mad honey" made by bees feeding on rhododendron (mainly Rhododendron panticum and R. luteum) flowers. Honey can also become contaminated with microbes (such as Clostridium botulinuma) and environmental chemicals (antibiotics, pesticides, heavy metals, materials in air pollution), 57,67,68 from the floral source(s), bees, or during collection and processing of honey.…”

“…319,323 The allergy to honey could be because of pollen and glandular secretions of the bees. 65,66 In low doses, consumption of mad honey causes dizziness, vertigo, hypotension, sinus bradycardia, chest pain, and respiratory distress, and in high doses, impaired consciousness, syncope, seizures, atrioventricular block, and asystole; patients usually recover 2-6 hours after ingestion. 154 Some honeys have toxins acquired from the nectar of flowers, which when ingested cause poisoning.…”