There is various contradictory Absinthe information available online and in books on which can hardly believe.
Misleading Absinthe Information
One book “Absinthe The Cocaine of the 19th Century: A History of the Hallucinogenic Drug and its Effect on Artists and Writersin Europe and the United States” by Doris Lanier, compares Absinthe to drugs such as cocaine because it was said to be addictive, to give a sense of euphoria, have psychedelic effects and weaken the brain and other faculties.
Absinthe became popular at the end of the 19th century and early 20th century, a time known as “The Great Binge”. This was a time in history when many of today’s illegal drugs like crack cocaine, morphine and heroin were developed and used by normal everyday people for medicine, on prescription for coughs etc. One can use it in drinks. Popular drinks in bars were Absinthe, Vin Maraiani (cocaine and wine) and Coca Cola (then made from cocaine, wine and kola nuts). These drugs and drinks were all thought to be harmless and were widely consumed throughout Europe.
Due to it’s popularity with Bohemian artists and writers and with the courtesans of the Moulin Rouge and Montmartre Absinthe was linked with these drugs.
Thujone was also claimed to be psychoactive and same as THC in the drug cannabis. The essential oils contain THC and Thujone which affects the central nervous system and the GABA receptors in the brain respectively. The decent amount of wormwood intake can cause the same effects as caused by cannabis intoxication.
Absinthe was banned along with some drugs in the early 1900s and was made illegal to buy and sell in many countries around the world. It was restricted because of the hysteria of the time. People lumped Absinthe, the Green Fairy, together with drugs like heroin (the White Fairy), cannabis and cocaine and even now there are many people and websites who mention Absinthe in the same sentence as magic mushrooms, LSD, weed, cannabis and ecstasy.
Absinthe Information – What we now know
We know that medical studies on Absintheand wormwood in the past were not accurate and were “colored” by the prohibition movement of the time and the worry that Absinthe was a drug. Absinthe contains very small amounts of thujone after it is distilled which is insufficient to cause any harmful side effects or hallucinations. Even tests on vintage pre ban Absinthe has shown that it hardly contained any thujone at all. A person would die of alcohol poisoning long before being affected with thujone.
Absinthe can now be enjoyed in bars and in homes across the world as it is authorized in most of the countries.
Because of it’s high proof one has no problem to get drunk on Absinthe. Due to the double quantity of the alcohol content in it one must take care when consuming it. Other spirits or fermented beverages cannot give the same drunkenness feel as given by Absinthe. This type of drunkenness is explained as a “lucid” or “clear headed”. The blend of herbs and the alcohol can explain this. Some people enhance these qualities by making cocktails containing Absinthe and the caffeine loaded drink Red Bull!
So, you will be disappointed if you believe some of the misleading Absinthe information and buy Absinthe to give you vivid hallucinations. One can have fun to prepare this herbal alcoholic beverage. Real, top-quality Absinthe essences is available at AbsintheKit.com which can be used in the making of own wormwood Absinthe.It is a fun and economical way to enjoy Absinthe on this site.