Everyone knows about the infamous effects of Absinthe. People know the colorful history and the secret myths of Absinthe.
Absinthe was produced as an elixir or tonic in Switzerland in the 18th century. In the following ways it’s main ingredient has been used in medicine
– A Good tonic
– To negate poisoning caused by hemlock and toadstools
-Used to stimulate digestion
– To deal with parasitic intestinal worms.
During the 19th century Absinthe started to be distilled and sold by Pernod and became famous in La Belle Epoque period and linked with the Bohemian culture of the Montmartre area of Paris. Various well known artists and writers such as Van Gogh, Verlaine, Baudelaire, Oscar Wilde and Hemingway believed on the effects of Absinthe saying that it freed their minds and inspired them. Van Gogh cut off his ear due to influence of the Green Fairy, Absinthe.
Several people started thinking that Absinthe was harmful because it had psychedelic and intoxicating effects which could cause violence and mental disorder. It was even described that a French man murdered his whole family after drinking Absinthe. A person should had consumed enough quantity of other alcoholic beverages after drinking the Absinthe.
The Absinthe effects were blamed on the wormwood extract in the drink which contained a chemical called thujone. Thujone is a bit similar to TCH that is content of the drug cannabis. Absinthe was banned and made illegal in France and many other nations in 1915. Interestingly, it was never banned in Spain, Portugal, the UK or the Czech Republic.
Many people researched thujone and Absinthe and it was found that drinking Absinthe was just as safe as drinking any strong spirits, and liquor with a high alcohol by volume, and that Absinthe contained only very minute quantities of thujone. Due to this reason Absinthe was made legal again in many countries in the 1990s. The bottled Absinthe which contains 10mg/kg or less of thujone can be sold as per EU legislation.
The Absinthe ban meant that many new Absinthe-like products had been created to replace Absinthe, such as Pernod Pastis which satisfied people’s appetite for an anise flavored alcoholic beverage. These beverages are still available along with artificial Absinthes which have been created for the US market. A real Absinthe is that which contains the vital ingredient, wormwood for giving Absinthe it’s characteristic bitter flavor. Absinthes which contain real wormwood or Absinthe essences which contain wormwood and can be mixed with vodka or Everclear is appropriate to produce own bottled Absinthe. These essences are used by the Absinthe industry and can be bought online through sites like AbsintheKit.com. They are available with instructions on how to use them and Absinthe spoon and glass is necessary for using them.
A person should worry about Absinthe effects if consuming a decent amount of Absinthe. As Absinthe is twice strong than whisky so one should drink it in moderation!