Absinthe thujone is the chemical found in Absinthe's vital ingredient, the plant identified as Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its botanical name. The substance thujone was partly accountable for Absinthe being banned in early 1900s in lots of countries around the globe and thujone remains tightly regulated today, especially in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was considered to be much like THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe was purported to be psychoactive and possess psychedelic effects causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe was favored by the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and many artists and writers believed that Absinthe, the Green Fairy, gave them inspiration as well as 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 brought on by Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its control alcoholplant. Absinthe was even held responsible for a man murdering his family, although he had consumed many other strong alcoholic drinks right after the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners used 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 Unsafe?
Today's studies suggest that it was in fact the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe which was dangerous instead of the thujone. Absinthe is two times as strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be used when taking in Absinthe. Thujone is merely found in minute quantities and ought to therefore cause no major side effects or health conditions. The EU stipulates that alcoholic beverages with an ABV (alcohol by volume) level over 25% may only contain a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as "bitters" can contain approximately 35mg/kg, it's not entirely clear which class Absinthe suits but a majority of brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with many being under 10mg/kg. In the US it is just legal to get or sell Absinthes with trace quantities of thujone.
High doses of thujone can be dangerous triggering convulsions but you would have to drink a great deal of Absinthe to consume that volume of thujone and it will be impossible to drink that amount, you'd be comatosed from alcohol before then!
Absinthe Materials
It is known 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 veronica to create his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from all of these herbs is responsible for La Louche, the clouding which happens when water is included with Absinthe. These herbs specially the aniseed and anise are responsible for the distinctive aniseed or licorice taste of Absinthe and wormwood is liable for the bitter flavor. Absinthe is oftentimes used as bitters in cocktails.
There are several brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes that were developed during the ban and thus contain no Absinthe thujone or wormwood, but some would claim that Absinthe isn't Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you wish real Absinthe search for brands containing wormwood or Absinthe thujone.
