Hong Kong man, 61, suffers from rare ‘mad honey’ poisoning after eating spoonful from Nepal
Victim hit by weakness, numbness, chills and shortness of breath about 45 minutes after consuming product
The city’s health authorities are investigating a rare case of “mad honey” poisoning involving a 61-year-old Hongkonger who had eaten honey from Nepal.
The victim was hit by weakness, numbness, chills and shortness of breath about 45 minutes after eating just a spoonful of the honey in question at home on January 18, the Centre for Health Protection said.
He sought treatment at the emergency unit of the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and was admitted early the next day. The man was discharged on the same day in a stable condition.
Grayanotoxins, a group of closely related toxins found in rhododendrons and other plants from the same family, were later detected in his urine sample and the uneaten honey.
The honey produced from the pollen of such plants can sometimes contain the neurotoxins, and is then known as “mad honey”.
Ingestion can quickly lead to symptoms including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, dizziness, weakness, excessive perspiration, hypersalivation and paraesthesia (“pins and needles”).
