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 to some extent accountable for Absinthe being banned in the early 1900s in several 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 seen in cannabis and Absinthe had been speculated to be psychoactive and have psychedelic effects causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe was popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and several artists absinthelegal.com 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 claim that Van Gogh’s madness was due to 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 consumed many other strong alcoholic beverages following the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners used news of the murder to campaign for the banning of Absinthe and held accountable France’s growing problems of alcohol dependency on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe thujone Unsafe?
Today’s research suggests that it was actually the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe which was dangerous instead of the thujone. Absinthe is doubly strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be taken any time ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is just obtained in minute quantities and must therefore trigger no major unwanted effects or health conditions. The EU states that alcohol based drinks 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” can easily contain around 35mg/kg, it is not totally clear which class Absinthe matches but most 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 amounts of thujone.
High doses of thujone may be hazardous causing convulsions but you would need to drink a large amount of Absinthe to take that quantity of thujone plus it would be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatose from alcohol before then!
Absinthe Compounds
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 also veronica to make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The primary oil from all of these herbs is in charge of La Louche, the clouding which happens when water is added to Absinthe. These kinds of herbs specially the aniseed and anise lead to the distinctive aniseed or licorice style of Absinthe and wormwood is liable 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 during the bar and so contain no Absinthe thujone or even wormwood, but a majority of people would say that Absinthe is not Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter flavor of wormwood. If you want real Absinthe try to find brands containing wormwood or Absinthe thujone.