Absinthe thujone

Absinthe thujone is the chemical found in Absinthe’s vital ingredient, the plant called Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its botanical name. The chemical thujone was to some extent liable for Absinthe being banned in early 1900s in many countries around the globe and thujone is still tightly regulated nowadays, specifically in the United States (or states united).

Thujone was considered to be much like THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe had been alleged to be psychoactive and have psychedelic outcomes causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe had been popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and many artists and writers claimed that Absinthe, the Green www.absinthethujone.com Fairy, gave them inspiration and their genius. Famous Absinthe drinkers consist of Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine. Some state 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 consumed a number of other strong alcoholic refreshments after the Absinthe.


Is Absinthe thujone Dangerous?

Today’s research suggests that it was actually the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe which was dangerous as opposed to the thujone. Absinthe is doubly strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be utilized when consuming Absinthe. Thujone is only contained in minute quantities and should therefore trigger no major unwanted effects or even health conditions. The EU stipulates that alcoholic beverages with an ABV {alcohol by volume) level above 25% may only contain a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as “bitters” may contain around 35mg/kg, it is not entirely 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 only legal to get or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.

High doses of thujone can be dangerous causing convulsions but you would have to drink a great deal of Absinthe to use that volume of thujone plus it will 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 very first Absinthe distillery, used the herbs wormwood, aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica root, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, juniper and also veronica to produce his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from all of these herbs is responsible for La Louche, the clouding which happens when water is put into Absinthe. These types of herbs especially the aniseed and anise have the effect of the distinctive aniseed or licorice flavor of Absinthe and wormwood is liable for the actual bitter flavor. Absinthe is oftentimes used as bitters in cocktails.

There are numerous brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes which were developed throughout the prohibit and for that reason contain no Absinthe thujone or perhaps wormwood, but some would say that Absinthe isn’t Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter flavor of wormwood. If you’d like real Absinthe search for brands made up of wormwood or Absinthe thujone.