Absinthe thujone is the chemical found in Absinthe’s important ingredient, the plant called Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its botanical name. The chemical thujone was partially accountable for Absinthe being banned in the early 1900s in lots of countries across the world and thujone is still tightly regulated today, especially in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was thought to be much like THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe has been alleged to be psychoactive and have psychedelic effects causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe was popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre inside Paris and lots of artists as well as writers claimed that Absinthe, the Green Fairy, gave them inspiration and their genius. Famous Absinthe drinkers consist of www.absinthethujone.com Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine. Some state that Van Gogh’s madness was due to Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its influence. Absinthe was even blamed for a man murdering his family, although he had consumed many other strong alcoholic refreshments right after the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners utilized news of the murder to campaign for the banning of Absinthe and held accountable France’s growing problems of alcoholism on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe thujone Hazardous?
Today’s research suggests that it was really the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe that was dangerous instead of the thujone. Absinthe is two times as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be taken any time ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is simply obtained in minute quantities and should therefore cause no major side effects or health issues. The EU stipulates that alcoholic beverages with an ABV {alcohol by volume) level more than 25% may only consist of a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as “bitters” may contain up to 35mg/kg, it is not totally clear which class Absinthe matches but most brands of Absinthe have much under 35mg with many being below 10mg/kg. In the US it is simply legal to buy or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.
High doses of thujone may be hazardous causing convulsions but you would need to drink a lot of Absinthe to use that volume of thujone and it would be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatose from alcohol until then!
Absinthe Ingredients
It is stated that Henri-Louis Pernod, who owned the first Absinthe distillery, utilized the herbs wormwood, aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica root, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, juniper and also veronica to make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from all of these herbs accounts for La Louche, the clouding which comes about when water is added to Absinthe. These types of herbs particularly the aniseed and anise have the effect of the distinctive aniseed or licorice style of Absinthe and wormwood is liable for the actual bitter flavor. Absinthe is oftentimes utilized as bitters in cocktails.
There are numerous brands of Absinthe or Absinthe replacements which were developed during the bar and so contain no Absinthe thujone or even wormwood, but many would say that Absinthe isn’t Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you want real Absinthe try to find brands that contains wormwood or Absinthe thujone.