Absinthe effects are well known. Absinthe is known across the world for its colourful background and the mysterious myths that revolve around it.
Absinthe was made in Switzerland in the eighteenth century as an elixir or tonic. Its main compound, the herb wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), has been used in medicine since ancient times in the following ways:-
– As a tonic
– To counteract poisoning due to hemlock and toadstools
– To induce digestion
– To treat parasitic intestinal worms.
Absinthe grew to become distilled and sold by Pernod at the turn of the nineteenth century and have become famous in La Belle Epoque period and linked with the Bohemian culture of the Montmartre division of Paris – home to a lot of artists and writers. Many famous artists and writers including Van Gogh, Verlaine, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde and Hemingway counted on the effects of Absinthe saying that it freed their minds and inspired them. Some point out that Van Gogh cut-off his ear while under the influence of the Green Fairy, Absinthe.
Many people started to feel that Absinthe was harmful, claiming that it was psychoactive, an hallucinogen, that it had psychedelic and intoxicating effects and can even cause violence and insanity. It was even believed that a French man had murdered his whole family after ingesting Absinthe. In reality, he had taken a massive amount of other alcohol based drinks after drinking the Absinthe.
The Absinthe effects were attributed to the wormwood extract in the drink which included a chemical called thujone. Thujone had resemblances with TCH, found in the drug cannabis. Absinthe was forbidden and made illegal in France in 1915 and im many other countries at around the same time. Oddly enough, it was by no means prohibited in Spain, Portugal, the UK or the Czech Republic.
A lot of people researched thujone and Absinthe and it was found that drinking Absinthe was just as safe as drinking any strong spirits, and liquor with a high alcohol by volume, and that Absinthe contained only very small amounts of thujone. Absinthe was, thus, made legal again in several countries in the 1990s. EU legislation implies that bottled Absinthe could only be sold if it contains 10mg/kg or less of thujone and US law only enables the sale of Absinthe with trace quantities of thujone.
The Absinthe ban supposed that many new Absinthe-like products had been created to replace Absinthe, just like Pernod Pastis which satisfied people’s appetite for an anise flavored liquor. These beverages remain available together with artificial Absinthes which have been designed for the US market. If you want real Absinthe you will need an Absinthe which contains the vital ingredient, wormwood, that gives Absinthe it’s characteristic bitter flavor. Look for Absinthes that have real wormwood or buy Absinthe essences that contain wormwood and that may be blended with vodka or Everclear to create your very own bottled Absinthe. These essences are utilized by the Absinthe industry and might be obtained online through sites like AbsintheKit.com. They come with directions concerning how to utilize them and are to use with your Absinthe spoon and glass.
You only need to worry about Absinthe effects if you are planning to consume a significant volume of Absinthe. Remember that Absinthe is twice as strong as whisky and drink it in moderation!