Absinthe Thujone these two words have had an extremely ambivalent history. Absinthe on the one hand was carefully called as The Green Fairy, The Green Muse, or even The Green Goddess was also equally resented by its detractors and attributed for moral degeneration and also madness.
The original source of absinthe can be traced back to later years of the 18th century when a French medical doctor Dr. Pierre Ordinaire invented a digestive system tonic using herbs such as wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), fennel, anise, hyssop and nutmeg. It was considered an herbal remedy at that time. In the year 1797 Henri-Louis Pernod absinthliquor started commercial production of absinthe. In 1805 a separate distillery for the manufacture of absinthe was created by Pernod and very soon after that absinthe had become the national drink of France. It was the most popular alcoholic drink in Europe and at one time absinthe rivaled wine. It’s estimated that in the nineteenth century greater than 2 million liters each year of absinthe was consumed in France alone. The rich and poor both consumed absinthe.
Absinthe has been considered an inspirational drink and many great artists and writers were regular users. Great painters like Vincent Van Gogh were so much crazy about The Green Fairy that absinthe features in five of his masterpieces. Additional notable people from the realm of art and literature including Pablo Picasso, Oscar Wilde, and Hemmingway credited their imaginative genius to absinthe and its magical effects. Nevertheless, by the start of twentieth century alarmed by the raising alcoholism amongst the population and particular unfounded rumors the demand to ban absinthe began gathering momentum. It was broadly believed that thujone a terpene located in the herb wormwood was responsible for the detrimental effects of absinthe. It was widely thought that absinthe contained alarming levels of thujone. This sustained campaign versus absinthe eventually brought about absinthe being banned at the beginning of the twentieth century for most of Europe and North America.
With the ban on absinthe, fascination with absinthe slowly declined. Even so in some parts of Europe absinthe was still being distilled clandestinely and this came to be often known as clandestine absinthe. In the year 1975 in a paper published in the scientific magazine revealed that thujone’s chemical structure resembles THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol which can be found in cannabis and causes convulsions and hallucinations when ingested in great quantity. However in the year 1999 further evidence demonstrated that thujone has no effect on cannabinoid receptors. The research further proved that thujone in small quantity generates stimulant action, because it is a GABA-A modulator. In the light of this new finding most European countries have now lifted the ban on absinthe and it is available nowadays in Europe. However, it continues to be banned in the US.
People in the USA can buy absinthe from non-US producers as possession and drinking of absinthe just isn’t illegal in the US. With the fast expansion of the world wide web there are numerous online retailers that sell absinthe essence and other absinthe products. Now you can purchase absinthe essence on the web and ready your very own absinthe from home. A note of caution, since absinthe has high alcohol content it is recommended that you drink absinthe moderately.
absinthe consists of wormwood and other essential oils, these oils acquire precipitated when ice-cold water is combined with it and the emerald green color of absinthe turns opaque white, this is called louching and it is accountable for the wonderful anise flavor.To get the best quality absinthe essence and other absinthe products and accessories visit absinthekit.com