Some substances on plants are quite toxic to human beings yet have no harmful effects on the foraging bees. What this means is that if bees happen to gather nectar or honeydew from any flower of plant that contain such substances, we can be in danger. The result is the toxins get into the honey that we eat, thus contaminating the food. The result is toxic honey. It may even make the honey psychoactive (mind altering) to humans. The video below looks at how bee keepers in New Zealand prevent toxic honey caused by tutin from tutu bushes. Worth noting is that tutin is highly toxic to humans and in some cases it can be fatal.

My Notes

An international study published in the Food Additives and Contaminants Journal reported some alarming findings on a number of Australian honeys. They found that 41 of 59 Australian honey samples were contaminated. These honeys contained traces of natural plant toxins found in certain weeds. This included plants like Patterson's curse and fireweed. The report claimed that some products could have links to cancer. The researchers had even more cautions too. They warned that pregnant and breastfeeding women should be especially careful about honey consumption. They warned too of the dangers linked to organ damage in children. The Australian honey industry rejected the research saying it was compiled using old data, and therefore had no standing.

There are more flowers that have the potential to pass on toxins into honey that most people realize. Here's a list of some of the most well-known of these plants.

• Rhododendron ponticum (contains alkaloids poisonous to humans)
• Andromeda flowers, pieris japonica or lily (contains andromedagrayanotoxins)
• Kalmia latifolia, aka calico bush (contains grayanotoxin and arbutin)
• Wharangi bush (fatal toxins (various))

Some lesser known plants include:

• Datura plants in Mexico and Hungary
• Belladonna flowers and henbane from Hungary
• Serjania lethalis from Brazil
• Gelsemium sempervirens from American Southwest
• Coriaria arborea from New Zealand
• Hyoscyamus niger l
• Datura Inoxia from Poland
• Narcotic opium honey

Known toxic honeys include:

• Mad Honey (has real psychedelic qualities. Found in Turkey and Nepal)
• Viper’s Bugloss honey (potentially hepatotoxic in large quantities)

The scientific report below looks at the toxic compounds found in some honeys:

Toxic compounds in honey
J Appl Toxicol. 2014 Jul;34(7):733-42. doi: 10.1002/jat.2952. Epub 2013 Nov 11.
Islam MN, Khalil MI, Islam MA, Gan SH.

Summary

There's a difference between naturally contaminated honey and adulterated honey that has been tampered with at the processing stage. Most honey is not only safe to eat but it's incredibly healthy for humans too. Some honeys may contain toxins from the plant source. Others may contain toxic compounds that are not naturally present in honey. These are things that can apply to almost any kind of food.

If in doubt, research your honeys and know that your product comes from a reliable source.