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 partly accountable for Absinthe being banned in early 1900s in several countries around the globe and thujone is still tightly regulated nowadays, specifically in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was thought to be much like THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe had been alleged to be psychoactive and have psychedelic absinthe-spoons outcomes causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe has been popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre inside Paris and many artists and also writers claimed that Absinthe, the Green 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 brought on by Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its influence. Absinthe was even blamed for a man murdering his family, even though he had consumed a great many other strong alcoholic beverages right after the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners used news of the murder to campaign for the banning of Absinthe and held responsible France’s growing problems of alcoholism on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe thujone Unsafe?
Today’s research suggests that it was really the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe that was dangerous as opposed to the thujone. Absinthe is doubly strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be taken when ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is simply obtained in minute quantities and should therefore cause no major side effects or perhaps health conditions. The EU states that alcohol based drinks with an ABV {alcohol by volume) level over 25% may only consist of a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as “bitters” can easily contain up to 35mg/kg, it is not completely clear which class Absinthe fits into but most brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with many being below 10mg/kg. In the US it is only legal to buy or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.
High doses of thujone can be harmful causing convulsions but you would need to drink a large amount of Absinthe to consume that amount of thujone also it will be impossible to drink that amount, you’d be comatose from alcohol until then!
Absinthe Substances
It is stated that Henri-Louis Pernod, who owned the very first Absinthe distillery, employed the herbs wormwood, aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica root, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, juniper and veronica to produce his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from these herbs accounts for La Louche, the clouding which happens when water is added to Absinthe. These herbs especially the aniseed and anise are responsible for the distinctive aniseed or licorice taste of Absinthe and wormwood is liable for the bitter flavor. Absinthe is oftentimes utilized as bitters in cocktails.
There are lots of brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes which were developed during the ban and so contain no Absinthe thujone or wormwood, but a majority of people would say that Absinthe isn’t Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter flavor of wormwood. If you’d like real Absinthe search for brands made up of wormwood or Absinthe thujone.