Absinthe thujone

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 partly accountable for Absinthe being banned in early 1900s in lots of countries around the world and thujone is still tightly regulated these days, particularly in the United States (or states united).

Thujone was considered to be much like THC present in cannabis and Absinthe was purported to be psychoactive and have psychedelic results causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe has been popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre within Paris and several artists and 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 absinthe thujone and Verlaine. Some say that Van Gogh’s madness was caused by Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its influence. Absinthe was even blamed for a man murdering his family, although he had consumed many other strong alcoholic refreshments right after the Absinthe.

Prohibition campaigners utilised news of the murder to campaign for the banning of Absinthe and blamed France’s growing problems of alcohol addiction 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 as opposed to the thujone. Absinthe is twice as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be taken whenever taking in Absinthe. Thujone is just present in minute quantities and should therefore cause no major unwanted effects or perhaps health issues. The EU states that alcoholic beverages 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” may contain as much as 35mg/kg, it is not totally clear which class Absinthe suits but most brands of Absinthe have much under 35mg with many being below 10mg/kg. In the US it is simply legal to purchase or sell Absinthes with trace amounts of thujone.

High doses of thujone may be hazardous causing convulsions but you must drink a great deal of Absinthe to consume that quantity of thujone also it would be impossible to drink that amount, you’d be comatose from alcohol until then!

Absinthe Components

It is stated 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 as well as veronica to make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The primary oil from all of these herbs is in charge of La Louche, the clouding which occurs when water is put into Absinthe. These herbs especially the aniseed and anise lead to the distinctive aniseed or licorice flavor of Absinthe and wormwood is responsible for the bitter flavor. Absinthe is oftentimes used as bitters in cocktails.

There are lots of brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes which were developed during the prohibit and therefore contain no Absinthe thujone or even wormwood, but many would say that Absinthe just isn’t Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter style of wormwood. If you want real Absinthe look for brands containing wormwood or Absinthe thujone.