Absinthe thujone is the chemical found in Absinthe’s essential 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 world and thujone is still tightly regulated these days, particularly in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was regarded as similar to THC found in cannabis and Absinthe had been alleged to be psychoactive and have psychedelic results causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe had been popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and lots of artists as well as writers claimed that Absinthe, the Green https://absinthethujone.com Fairy, gave them inspiration and their genius. Famous Absinthe drinkers consist of Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine. Some claim 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 eaten a number of other strong alcoholic beverages following the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners used news of the murder to campaign for the banning of Absinthe and blamed France’s growing problems of alcoholism on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe thujone Unsafe?
Today’s studies suggest 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 utilized whenever taking in Absinthe. Thujone is merely present in minute quantities and should therefore cause no major side effects or even health conditions. The EU states 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 as much as 35mg/kg, it is not entirely clear which class Absinthe suits but most brands of Absinthe have much under 35mg with many being under 10mg/kg. In the US it is just legal to get or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.
High doses of thujone may be dangerous causing convulsions but you would have to drink a lot of Absinthe to take that quantity of thujone and it will be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatose from alcohol until then!
Absinthe Components
It is said that Henri-Louis Pernod, who owned the initial Absinthe distillery, employed the herbs wormwood, aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica root, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, juniper and veronica to make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The primary oil from these herbs is in charge of La Louche, the clouding which occurs when water is combined with Absinthe. These types of herbs especially the aniseed and anise are responsible for the distinctive aniseed or licorice taste of Absinthe and wormwood is responsible for the actual bitter flavor. Absinthe is usually used as bitters in cocktails.
There are numerous brands of Absinthe or Absinthe alternatives which were developed throughout the ban and therefore contain no Absinthe thujone or perhaps wormwood, but some would say that Absinthe is not Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter flavor of wormwood. If you would like real Absinthe try to find brands that contains wormwood or Absinthe thujone.