Absinthe wormwood is normally Artemisia Absinthium or Grand Wormwood which is actually a variety of wormwood which does not contain a vast amount of the chemical thujone. The thujone content can be more in the drinks with two types of wormwood. Thujone amounts can differ between brands significantly, some Absinthes only have negligible amounts of thujone, whereas others have up to 35mg/kg. Absinthe with thujone content is restricted in the USA.
People don’t have single point of view about Absinthe Wormwood?
Since Ancient times common Wormwood is being used as a medicine. One has used it :-
– To weaken poisoning caused by toadstools and hemlock.
– It is described as a tonic.
– One can also use it for reducing fever.
– One can use it as a stimulant to digestion.
– Treating with parasitic intestinal worms.
Green color, bitter taste and name of Absinthe is based on wormwood herb used in it’s preparation. The essential herbal oils in Absinthe cause the popular “louche” effect when water is added to the drink.
Absinthe was banned in the early 1900s in several countries due to it’s harmful effects. Thujone was claimed to have psychoactive and psychedelic effects and also an hallucinogen and Absinthe drinking was linked with violent crimes, serious intoxication, insanity. People believed that Absinthe was the main reason behind the murder of a french family!
Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and Oscar Wilde are among the writers and artists who enjoyed this drink before it was illegalized. Absinthe was never restricted in the UK, Spain, Portugal or the Czech Republic though banned in many European countries.
Absinthe Wormwood Revival
There was never any real evidence linking Absinthe drinking to hallucinations or insanity and it is now known that Absinthe is no worse than any other highly alcoholic drink. Absinthe has approximately twice the alcoholic content of spirits such as whisky and vodka and so should be consumed in moderation, but Absinthe wormwood is not thought to be harmful. The consumption of decent amount of Absinthe can make a person feel a funny lucid or clear headed type of drunkenness.
There has been a renewed interest, a revival, in Absinthe drinking after it’s legalization in most countries. There are many different types and brands of Absinthe available to buy and buyers can even order Absinthe essence, to make their own Absinthe, online from companies like AbsintheKit.com.
Absinthe Wormwood is still the most important ingredient in Absinthe today but thujone content is strictly regulated in the European Union (no more than 10mg/kg) and the United States where only trace amounts are allowed. Artificial flavored Absinthe should be avoided.