Absinthe is well known as being
famously banned in the early 1900s because of worries over its safety. Right now, many people associate it with drugs like cannabis and speak about it leading you to “trip” or hallucinate and didn’t Van Gogh commit suicide as a consequence of Absinthe? Are these claims and stories just urban legend or are they real – how safe is Absinthe?
Absinthe is usually a strong alcoholic beverage created using herbs such as wormwood, aniseed and fennel. It’s roughly twice as strong as other spirits just like whisky and vodka. It has an anise taste and it’s typically served diluted with iced water making the Absinthe louche when it’s added to the alcohol.
How Safe is Absinthe
Absinthe, or perhaps the Green Fairy, had been a popular drink in the Great Binge of 1870 – 1914 in France, a period when cocaine was adopted in beverages and cough drops and heroin was used as a morphine replacement and in cough medicine for kids. Absinthe was incorrectly compared with cannabis since it was considered that thujone, a chemical in wormwood, was similar to THC in cannabis. Thujone was reported to be psychoactive also to trigger psychedelic effects.
The medical occupation became concerned about the popularity of Absinthe and what they called “Absinthism”, a condition due to prolonged drinking of Absinthe. They said that extended utilization of Absinthe brought on:-
– Frothing of the mouth and convulsions
– Hypersensitivity to pain
– Delirium
– Insanity
– Lack of libido
– Paralysis
– Brain damage
– Death
The French Academy of Medicine pushed for Absinthe to get suspended, as did prohibitionists and wine producers who were unhappy with Absinthe’s popularity. In 1905 a man in Switzerland killed his family and this crime became referred to as “The Absinthe Murder” because he had consumed two glasses of Absinthe earlier that day. The man had actually taken many alcoholic beverages AFTER the Absinthe but this fact was ignored and the crime was used by prohibitionists to fuel their campaign.
Absinthe was suspended in 1912 in the United States as well as in 1915 in France.
Modern tests on Absinthe made from original recipes and gas chromatography tests on old-fashioned bottles of Absinthe have shown that Absinthe is made up of very little thujone and so could hardly possibly cause the effects assumed by doctors in the early 1900s. People would likely die of alcohol poisoning prior to ingesting a damaging level of thujone! It had been determined that Absinthe is perfectly harmless when consumed without excess, after all it’s very high proof.
Absinthe was made legal in many countries in the late 1980s and 90s but Americans had to hold off until 2007 for some brands to be made legitimate in the US or risk getting Absinthe shipped over coming from other countries.
So, how safe is Absinthe today? It is only as safe as any other strong liquor and will not make you hallucinate. Buy high quality Absinthe which satisfies EU or US suggestions or create your own using appropriate essences. AbsintheKit.com make essences for the Absinthe industry and also for the public. They are easy, safe and can be transported around the world. You need to be careful that you don’t drink an excessive amount at once!