9 testimonies of women who used the “magic honey” and describe severe effects

At the beginning of the week, we revealed in Mako Health a series of testimonies from women who claimed that they began to suffer from unusual symptoms after using the “magic honey”, a product for slimming purposes, allegedly, that is marketed on social networks. Now more testimonies of other women are coming to the system describing particularly severe effects after use.

“Magic Honey” is a product that is produced in Turkey and marketed mainly through TikTok pages, Instagram and social media accounts. It is presented as a “natural” product that helps suppress appetite and rapid weight loss. However, a check by mako health shows that the product does not have an official importer in Israel, it is not sold in the well-known pharma chains, and is distributed through private marketers who offer it for purchase with home delivery.

Shiral, 25 years old from Kiryat, tells Mako Health that she purchased the “magic honey” after being exposed to advertising on Instagram. “I contacted someone on WhatsApp. I was enthusiastic about what she posted on Instagram and I said to myself that if it’s really natural, then why not try,” she says. According to her, she waited about a week before deciding to use the product. “In the end, I took it in the morning on an empty stomach, as I was instructed, and towards evening I suddenly felt that it was difficult for me to breathe. My heart was beating fast, I had strong pressures and stabbings in my chest and I felt that I needed air.”

Shiral says that at first she was not sure that the symptoms were related to the product. “I took a break for a few days, because I thought maybe it wasn’t from the honey at all, and then I tried again.” But according to her, even after repeated use the same symptoms appeared and even got worse. “I didn’t even feel that it suppressed my appetite, on the contrary – I wanted more sweetness. After taking it two more times, I already started writhing with chest pains. I was sure I was having a heart attack.”

 

It is impossible to explain what happened to me that day. It’s the worst thing that ever happened to me, I thought I was going to die

Shiral, 25

Last week, in the evening, she went to the emergency medical center of Klalit in Zebulon in Kiryat Bialik. “Before I went to the emergency room, I wrote to the seller from Instagram that I was on my way to the hospital and I asked her again if the product really only had natural ingredients. She told me that it might be concentrated caffeine. It’s impossible to explain what happened to me that day. It was the worst thing that happened to me in my life, I thought I was going to die. I arrived with my husband, I was sure I was having a heart attack. In the emergency room, they did blood tests and checked my heart rate to make sure there was no damage.”

Even a week later, she says, the symptoms still haven’t completely gone. “To this day, I still feel pain and pressure in my chest, only with a weaker intensity. I threw that honey away and I don’t go near it anymore.” According to her, when she later entered the Instagram page from which she was exposed to the product, she discovered that all the postings on it had been deleted.

Dr. Benny Raviv, director of community triage at Klalit’s Zebulon Specialist Center: “A 25-year-old patient sought medical treatment due to chest pains accompanied by shortness of breath. During the medical questioning, it emerged that in the week preceding the onset of the symptoms, she experienced anxiety attacks, and that she had recently started using a new nutritional supplement. As part of the investigation, the patient underwent a comprehensive medical evaluation, which included an EKG, chest x-ray, and blood tests, in order to rule out acute conditions related to the heart and lungs. After she was found to be in a stable condition, with no abnormal findings in the tests, she was released to her home for further follow-up as needed.”

Agam, 22 years old from the north, a fighter in the reserves, says that she purchased the “magic honey” after being exposed to its advertisement on Tiktok. She traveled all the way to Holon in order to purchase it, and according to her, after several times of using the product, she began to suffer from weakness, dizziness, a rapid pulse and a feeling of not being able to stand on her feet. She went to the emergency room at Ziv Medical Center, where she underwent blood tests and a chest x-ray. According to her, at that stage she did not connect the symptoms with the use of the product.

“I called the girl who sold me the product and she asked me if I called her because of the article in Mako. It was only after I saw what you published and the reactions of other women that I realized there was a connection to everything I felt,” she says. “I’m a fighter in the reserves, I served in Lebanon and now on the Egyptian border. I’m usually healthy, and suddenly I couldn’t stand on my feet. I had to ask my father for help. It’s horrible. They gave me a few days of rest, but I continued to feel bad. I want anyone who takes it to stop and check what she’s putting in her body.”

This morning, after the symptoms did not stop, Agam went to the health fund for a series of additional tests, and was finally referred to the emergency room again. Dr. Milad Abu Shakara, a family doctor at the general clinic in the Upper Galilee who treated her: “The patient came to the clinic due to headaches, weakness and a rapid pulse. Upon her arrival, we immediately performed an EKG test as part of the initial medical evaluation, and at the end of the investigation, she was referred to the emergency room for further investigation, tests and supervision.”

Ayala, 29 years old from Bnei Brak, also says that she purchased the “magic honey” after being exposed to advertising on Instagram. “Two and a half years ago I underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost 40 kilos, but I still wanted to lose another ten. I saw the advertisement, and I noticed that ingredients like green tea appear on the package, and I asked the seller if the product is also suitable for those who have undergone gastric bypass surgery, and she answered yes.”

According to her, on the very first day she used the product, while she was at work, she began to feel ill. “I took it on an empty stomach, as I was instructed, and in a short time I felt that my mouth was completely dry, my pulse increased, I had dizziness. I felt like I was going to die.”

Ayala says that the next day she decided to try again, thinking that it might be a one-time reaction. “I told myself that maybe it’s only the first time it’s like this, but it was just a nightmare. For almost two hours I couldn’t move. I felt like I was in the middle of an anxiety attack.” According to her, immediately afterwards she threw the product in the trash and did not use it again. “I realized it wasn’t worth it and I didn’t lose any weight at all. Since then I’ve been trying to warn everyone I can. Every time I see an advertisement for this product on social media, I respond so that other girls are aware.”

Little (pseudonym), 17 years old, says that she decided to try the “magic honey” after her friend was exposed to recommendations about it on social networks. “We talked a lot about wanting to lose weight, and suddenly she sent me the link to this Instagram page. I ordered and within two days a courier was at my house.” According to her, already in the first days of use she almost did not eat due to loss of appetite, but at the same time she began to feel sharp changes in her mood. “Usually I’m a happy person, but suddenly I was very nervous, and then very depressed. At some point I noticed that everything made me jump. I didn’t understand what was happening to me,” she says.

According to her, later she also began to suffer from significant dizziness. “Almost every time I got out of bed I saw black eyes.” After about a month and a half she stopped using the product. “I felt that it just wasn’t doing me any good, so I decided to stop.”

In the meantime, one of the network influencers who marketed the “Magic Honey” informed her followers yesterday that she is, at this stage, ceasing to sell the product “until further notice”. In a series of stories she uploaded to her Instagram account, she claimed that those who felt unwell should have stopped using the product and checked for themselves whether it was approved by the Ministry of Health. “It’s your body, let each one do what she thinks is right,” she wrote.

Later she also addressed the criticism directed at her for promoting the product for a young audience. “I’ll use a Varza product, you’re going to eat lettuce and exercise. How I love all the beauticians who say ‘you’re influential, girls follow you’. Mom, we’re not the children’s channel, we’ll do what we want, and those who want to will be influenced and those who don’t – won’t.”

At the same time, the Instagram and Tiktok pages through which the product was marketed were removed from the social networks

As mentioned, these testimonies join a series of other inquiries that have come to the mako health system in recent days. Following the publication, we contacted the Ministry of Health with a request for a reference – and this is their reference: “The product is not known to the Ministry of Health. The Ministry received a complaint on the matter a few days ago, following which an investigation was opened as required. The Ministry of Health constantly warns the public against using products that are not known, that have not received the approval of the Ministry and whose composition is unknown.

“Unsupervised products may contain active and dangerous substances, including drugs, poisons or pollutants that are not indicated on the packaging. The Ministry of Health warns the public about the dangers of buying medicines and nutritional supplements other than through the legal marketing channel and urges to buy medicines only in places approved for this, such as pharmacies and pharma chains, and also to avoid buying medicines through social networks and unfamiliar websites.