Absinthe thujone
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 partially accountable for Absinthe being banned during the early 1900s in many countries across the world and thujone is still tightly regulated these days, especially in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was thought to be similar to THC found in cannabis and Absinthe was speculated to be psychoactive and have psychedelic outcomes causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe has been popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and lots of artists as well as 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 absinthethujone.com and Verlaine. Some state 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, despite the fact that he had eaten many other strong alcoholic beverages 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 alcoholism on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe thujone Hazardous?
Today’s studies suggest that it was really the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe which was dangerous instead of the thujone. Absinthe is two times as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be utilized when ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is just contained in minute quantities and must therefore cause no major negative effects or health problems. The EU stipulates that alcoholic beverages 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 around 35mg/kg, it is not completely clear which class Absinthe matches but most brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with many being beneath 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 dangerous causing convulsions but you would need to drink a lot of Absinthe to take that amount of thujone and it would be impossible to drink that amount, you’d be comatose from alcohol until then!
Absinthe Elements
It is known 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 as well as veronica to make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The fundamental oil from these herbs is responsible for La Louche, the clouding which happens when water is put into Absinthe. These types of herbs particularly the aniseed and anise lead to the distinctive aniseed or licorice taste of Absinthe and wormwood is responsible for the particular bitter flavor. Absinthe is oftentimes used as bitters in cocktails.
There are numerous brands of Absinthe or Absinthe replacements which were developed throughout the bar and therefore contain no Absinthe thujone or wormwood, but many would say that Absinthe just isn’t Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you’d like real Absinthe search for brands containing wormwood or Absinthe thujone.