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 botanical name. The chemical thujone was partially liable for Absinthe being banned during the early 1900s in lots of countries around the world and thujone is still tightly regulated today, specifically in the United States (or states united).

Thujone was thought to be much like THC present in cannabis and Absinthe was purported 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 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 absinthethujone.com 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, although he had ingested many other strong alcoholic drinks right after the Absinthe.

Prohibition campaigners utilised 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 rather than the thujone. Absinthe is twice as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be taken whenever ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is merely obtained in minute quantities and must therefore cause no major negative effects or perhaps health issues. 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 entirely clear which class Absinthe matches but most brands of Absinthe have much under 35mg with many being below 10mg/kg. In the US it is just legal to buy or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.

High doses of thujone can be hazardous causing convulsions but you would have to drink a great deal of Absinthe to use that amount of thujone and it would be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatose from alcohol before then!

Absinthe Substances

It is said 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 as well as veronica to create his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from all of these herbs is responsible for La Louche, the clouding which happens when water is combined with Absinthe. These types of herbs especially the aniseed and anise are responsible for the distinctive aniseed or licorice style of Absinthe and wormwood is responsible for the actual bitter flavor. Absinthe is sometimes utilized as bitters in cocktails.

There are many brands of Absinthe or Absinthe alternatives which were developed during the ban and so contain no Absinthe thujone or even wormwood, but some would say that Absinthe is not Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter flavor of wormwood. If you want real Absinthe search for brands made up of wormwood or Absinthe thujone.