The Absinthe United States Scenario
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. The compound thujone was partly responsible for Absinthe being banned in early 1900s in lots of countries around the globe and thujone is still tightly regulated today, particularly in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was regarded as similar to THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe was purported to be psychoactive and have psychedelic effects triggering hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe was well-liked by the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and several artists and writers believed 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 say that Van Gogh’s madness was caused by Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its influence www.alcoholplant.com. Absinthe was even held accountable for a man murdering his family, even though he had taken a great many other strong alcoholic drinks right after the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners used news of the murder to campaign for the outlawing of Absinthe and blamed France’s growing problems of alcohol addiction on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe Thujone Unsafe?
Today’s research suggests that it was actually the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe that was dangerous instead of the thujone. Absinthe is twice as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be used when ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is only found in minute quantities and ought to therefore cause no major unwanted effects or health conditions. The EU stipulates that alcohol based drinks with an ABV (alcohol by volume) level over 25% might only have a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as “bitters” can contain as much as 35mg/kg, it is not completely clear which class Absinthe fits into but most brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with a lot of being under 10mg/kg. In the US it is only legal to get or sell Absinthes with trace quantities of thujone.
High doses of thujone may be dangerous triggering convulsions however you would have to drink a substantial amount of Absinthe to consume that amount of thujone and it will be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatosed from alcohol before then!
Absinthe Formula
It is said 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 make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from all of these herbs is mainly responsible for La Louche, the clouding which comes about when water is added to Absinthe. These herbs specially the aniseed and anise are responsible 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 many brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes that have been developed during 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 wish real Absinthe look for brands containing wormwood or Absinthe thujone.