TikTok’s Honey Packet Trend and Whether It’s Safe

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A look into the risks and side effects of taking honey packets
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If you’ve been on TikTok recently, you may have stumbled upon the honey packet trend that seems to be taking the world by storm. If you’re not filled in, honey packets have taken on an active role in the bedroom, sold as sexual enhancers online and in stores. But where did this trend originate? And is it safe? Keep reading for all the inside information on honey packets.

Honey Packet TikTok Trend

Honey packets are small, individually wrapped packets of honey commonly sold at gas stations and online. These packets often contain energy and libido-enhancing chemicals, legal only with prescriptions. Honey packets began trending on TikTok after some college boys admitted to using them during a campus interview.

Section 1 of 5:

What is a “honey packet”?

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  1. Although honey packets should ideally only contain honey, some companies have started selling honey packets with additional, and often undisclosed, ingredients, like tadalafil or sildenafil. These are the two main ingredients in sexual enhancement drugs, like Cialis and Viagra, which are strictly designed to treat erectile dysfunction. Since around 2021, honey packets have been marketed for heightened sexual pleasure and sold in as “shots” or “sticks” of honey, under names like Black Horse or Bio Max. [1]
    • These honey packets are commonly sold at gas stations, nightclubs, and online.
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Section 2 of 5:

What is the honey packet trend on TikTok?

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  1. Originating in a 2024 TikTok, the short clip featured a few students being interviewed on an Arizona State college campus. They were then asked the following question, “What’s something at ASU that would send a BYU student into a coma?” Two of the boys mentioned the honey pack trend, and one confirmed that he took about 28 a week. This admission hints at a serious problem, as the amount of libido-enhancing chemicals are not printed on the honey packets, potentially leading to overconsumption and health risks.
    • Honey packets often claim to be “all natural,” misleading consumers by not mentioning all the added drugs and chemicals.
Section 3 of 5:

Potential Risks of Consuming Honey Packets

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  1. Honey packets have contained unregulated drugs, like sildenafil and tadalafil, since about 2021. In 2023, France reported 31,000 tons of illegally imported honey from places like Malaysia, Turkey, and Thailand– all claiming to be “natural” performance enhancers. However, there’s nothing natural about tadalafil, a drug that’s typically only accessible via prescription.
    • Since the companies producing these honey packets are not forthcoming about the active stimulating ingredient, it’s difficult to know the dosage of each honey packet, potentially leading to health complications.
    • As early as 2021, authorities have warned against consuming honey packets due to rising health concerns. [2]
  2. One of the main concerns with casually consuming honey packets for the purpose for sexual performance is how the drugs in the honey might interact with other medications someone may be taking. People with diabetes and high blood pressure, for example, are typically on medications called nitrates, which work by causing the blood vessels passages to widen, allowing more blood flow to the heart. The active ingredient in honey packets, either tadalafil and sildenafil, also causes blood vessels to widen. When combined, these two drugs could lead to life-threatening low blood pressure. [3]
  3. Just like the college student in the original TikTok video that admitted to consuming 28 honey packets that week, the potential to overuse and misuse honey packets poses a huge health concern. Increased energy coupled with dilated blood vessels can create a perfect storm of physical distress, leading in some serious cases to convulsions, cerebral edemas, and painful, prolonged erections, especially when used repeatedly. Moreover, taking a honey packet to replace a coffee in the morning, for example, is not its intended function and could lead to further misuse.
  4. Before consuming a honey packet with tadalafil in it, you should be aware of all the conditions that it could negatively impact. These include but are not limited to heart disease of any kind, eye conditions, stomach ulcers, kidney disease, and liver disease. Then, there are some potential minor side effects, such as blurred vision, chest pain, dizziness, headache, hearing loss, nausea, and nervousness. The more serious side effects can be life-threatening, like significantly low blood pressure and cardiac arrest. [4]
  5. Although there’s definitely a market for performance-enhancing drugs, some people are likely overdoing it. A major health risk could be becoming dependent on honey packets, which would ultimately lead to an inability to maintain an erection without use of the active stimulating ingredient found in the packets. A limited dose of tadalafil over a controlled period of time as prescribed by a doctor is not considered dangerous. However, the amount of this ingredient in a honey packet is not listed, which is what makes it dangerous and unadvisable. [5]
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Section 4 of 5:

Why are college students taking sexual enhancement products?

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  1. A recent study discovered that 8% of men in their 20s and 11% of men in their 30s suffer from erectile dysfunction, or ED. This means that although there is a significant number of college-aged men who have ED, it’s certainly not enough to explain the overconsumption of honey packets, or even trying them out in the first place. The real reason college students are so into honey packets is more likely to be rooted in the pressure they feel to exceed a sexual partner’s needs. [6]
    • Taking honey packets is also a way for college-aged men to fit in with their peers.
    • Hook-up culture may be partially to blame, as young men are not only worried about performing well in the bedroom, but also about what their sexual partners are saying about them outside of the bedroom, especially when it comes to comparing them to previous partners.
Section 5 of 5:

Final Takeaway

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  1. Since the dosage of the performance-enhancing ingredient is not typically displayed on the label, it’s impossible to know how much tadalafil or sildenafil you’re consuming. This makes it just as potentially dangerous as any other illegal drug. When taken at the same time as certain other medications to treat other pre-existing conditions, the risk of adverse effects only increases. If erectile dysfunction seems to be the issue, here are some some less risky alternatives you can try: [7]
    • Exercise more: Research shows that 30 minutes of daily walking a day was correlated with a 41% reduced risk for ED, and similar exercise can help remedy ED in obese middle-aged men.
    • Eat clean: Your diet is key when treating ED, so try eating fruit, veggies, whole grains, and fish, instead of opting for the greasy burger or processed mac and cheese.
    • Take inventory of your overall health: Conditions like high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol, can impact arteries all through the body negatively, including the penis.
    • Talk to your doctor: Discuss your symptoms with a medical professional and take it from there. A full physical could reveal what’s working and what’s not!
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/honey-based-sexual-supplements-may-contain-cialis-viagra-ingredients-f-rcna37876
      2. ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aphrodisiac-honey-usage-health-risks-customs-officials-france/
      3. ↑ https://www.livescience.com/fda-warning-sexual-enhancement-honey
      4. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/tadalafil-oral-route/description/drg-20067204
      5. ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1185/030079904125003467
      6. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15036680/
      7. ↑ https://www.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/5-natural-ways-to-overcome-erectile-dysfunction

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