Absinthe thujone is the chemical present in Absinthe's vital ingredient, the plant identified as Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its botanical name absinthekit.com/articles. The substance thujone was partly the cause of Absinthe being banned in early 1900s in several countries across the globe and thujone is still tightly regulated today, particularly in the United States (or states united).
Thujone was thought to be just like THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe was purported to be psychoactive and possess psychedelic effects causing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe was popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and many artists and writers believed that Absinthe, the Green Fairy, gave them inspiration and their genius. Renowned 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 control. Absinthe was even held accountable for a man murdering his family, although he had ingested many other strong alcoholic drinks following the Absinthe.
Prohibition campaigners used news of the murder to campaign for the outlawing of Absinthe and charged France's growing problems of alcohol addiction on the emerald liquor.
Is Absinthe Thujone Harmful?
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 utilized when consuming Absinthe. Thujone is only present in minute quantities and should therefore cause no major negative effects or health issues. The EU stipulates that booze with an ABV (alcohol by volume) level over 25% may possibly contain a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as "bitters" can contain approximately 35mg/kg, it isn't entirely clear which class Absinthe matches but a majority of brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with a lot of being under 10mg/kg. In the US it is just legal to buy or sell Absinthes with trace quantities of thujone.
High doses of thujone may be dangerous leading to convulsions but you would have to drink a great deal of Absinthe to consume that volume of thujone and it might be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatosed from alcohol until then!
Absinthe Formula
It is said that Henri-Louis Pernod, who owned the very first Absinthe distillery, employed 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 these herbs is responsible for La Louche, the clouding which occurs 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 lots of brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes that have been developed during the ban and thus contain no Absinthe thujone or wormwood, but many would say that Absinthe isn't Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you'd like real Absinthe search for brands that contains wormwood or Absinthe thujone.
