The New Absinthe Thujone
Absinthe thujone is the chemical seen in Absinthe’s vital ingredient, the plant called Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its botanical name absinthekit. The compound thujone was partly responsible for Absinthe being banned in the early 1900s in several countries across the world and thujone is still tightly regulated today, especially in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was regarded as much like THC present in cannabis and Absinthe was alleged to be psychoactive and possess psychedelic effects creating hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe was favored by the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and lots of artists and writers claimed that Absinthe, the Green Fairy, gave them inspiration in addition to their genius. Famous Absinthe drinkers include Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine. Some point out that Van Gogh’s madness was due to Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its control. Absinthe was even held responsible for a man murdering his family, even though he had consumed a number of other strong alcoholic drinks right after the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners used news of the murder to campaign for the outlawing of Absinthe and charged France’s growing problems of alcohol dependency on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe Thujone Hazardous?
Today’s research suggests that it was actually the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe which was dangerous rather than the thujone. Absinthe is doubly strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be used when ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is just found in minute quantities and must therefore cause no major side effects or health issues. The EU stipulates that booze 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 contain as much as 35mg/kg, it isn’t completely clear which class Absinthe suits but a majority of brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with many being under 10mg/kg. In the US it is simply legal to get or sell Absinthes with trace quantities of thujone.
High doses of thujone can be dangerous causing convulsions nevertheless you would have to drink a substantial amount of Absinthe to consume that amount of thujone and it might be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatosed from alcohol until then!
Absinthe Formula
It is known that Henri-Louis Pernod, who owned the first 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 all of these herbs is responsible for La Louche, the clouding which occurs when water is included with Absinthe. These herbs particularly the aniseed and anise are accountable for the distinctive aniseed or licorice taste of Absinthe and wormwood is responsible for the bitter flavor. Absinthe is usually used as bitters in cocktails.
There are lots of brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes that have been developed over the ban and so contain no Absinthe thujone or wormwood, however, many would say that Absinthe just isn’t Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you want real Absinthe try to find brands that contains wormwood or Absinthe thujone.