Absinthe Thujone
Absinthe thujone is the chemical found in Absinthe’s important ingredient, the plant called Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its botanical name. The chemical thujone was partly responsible for Absinthe being banned in early 1900s in many countries across the world and thujone is still tightly regulated today, particularly in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was thought to be similar to THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe had been purported to be psychoactive and have psychedelic outcomes causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe had been popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre inside Paris and lots of artists and also writers claimed that Absinthe, the Green Fairy, gave them inspiration and their genius. Famous Absinthe drinkers include Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and absinthe thujone Verlaine. Some say 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, even though he had ingested a number of other strong alcoholic refreshments following the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners utilized news of the murder to campaign for the banning of Absinthe and blamed France’s growing problems of alcohol dependency on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe thujone Dangerous?
Today’s studies suggest 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 taken when taking in Absinthe. Thujone is merely present in minute quantities and must therefore cause no major unwanted effects or even health problems. The EU states that alcohol based drinks with an ABV {alcohol by volume) level over 25% may only contain a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as “bitters” can contain up to 35mg/kg, it is not entirely clear which class Absinthe suits but most brands of Absinthe have much lower than 35mg with many being beneath 10mg/kg. In the US it is simply legal to buy or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.
High doses of thujone may be harmful causing convulsions but you would need to drink a great deal of Absinthe to use that quantity of thujone also it will be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatose from alcohol until then!
Absinthe Compounds
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 make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The primary oil from all of these herbs accounts for La Louche, the clouding which occurs when water is combined with Absinthe. These herbs specially the aniseed and anise have the effect of the distinctive aniseed or licorice style of Absinthe and wormwood is liable for the actual bitter flavor. Absinthe is sometimes utilized as bitters in cocktails.
There are many brands of Absinthe or Absinthe replacements which were developed during the ban and for that reason contain no Absinthe thujone or perhaps wormwood, but many would say that Absinthe just isn’t Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you would like real Absinthe try to find brands made up of wormwood or Absinthe thujone.