Absinthe thujone is the chemical found in Absinthe’s important ingredient, the plant called Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its organic name. The chemical thujone was partially responsible for Absinthe being banned in the early 1900s in lots of countries around the globe and thujone is still tightly regulated nowadays, especially in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was considered to be similar to THC found 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 several artists and writers claimed that Absinthe, the Green absinthethujone Fairy, gave them inspiration and their genius. Famous Absinthe drinkers consist of Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine. Some say that Van Gogh’s madness was caused by Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its influence. Absinthe was even blamed for a man murdering his family, although he had ingested a great many other strong alcoholic drinks following the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners utilised news of the murder to campaign for the banning of Absinthe and held accountable France’s growing problems of alcohol dependency on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe thujone Dangerous?
Today’s research suggests that it was actually the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe which was dangerous as opposed to the thujone. Absinthe is twice as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be taken any time taking in Absinthe. Thujone is simply obtained in minute quantities and should therefore cause no major negative effects or perhaps health conditions. The EU stipulates that alcohol based drinks with an ABV {alcohol by volume) level more than 25% may only contain a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as “bitters” can contain around 35mg/kg, it is not completely clear which class Absinthe suits but most brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with many being below 10mg/kg. In the US it is simply legal to get or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.
High doses of thujone could be harmful causing convulsions but you must drink a lot of Absinthe to consume that amount of thujone plus it will be impossible to drink that amount, you’d be comatose from alcohol before then!
Absinthe Ingredients
It is said that Henri-Louis Pernod, who owned the initial Absinthe distillery, utilized the herbs wormwood, aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica root, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, juniper and veronica to create his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from these herbs is in charge of La Louche, the clouding which comes about when water is put into Absinthe. These kinds of herbs specially the aniseed and anise have the effect of the distinctive aniseed or licorice flavor of Absinthe and wormwood is responsible for the actual bitter flavor. Absinthe is usually employed as bitters in cocktails.
There are many brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes which were developed throughout the prohibit and therefore contain no Absinthe thujone or wormwood, but many would say that Absinthe is not Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you’d like real Absinthe try to find brands that contains wormwood or Absinthe thujone.