Absinthe wormwood is normally Artemisia Absinthium or Grand Wormwood which is actually a variety of wormwood which does not contain a vast amount of the chemical thujone. The thujone content can be more in the drinks with two types of wormwood. Thujone amounts can differ between brands significantly, some Absinthes only have negligible amounts of thujone, whereas others have up to 35mg/kg. In the USA Absinthe with trace amounts of thujone is legal for sale.

People don’t have single point of view about Absinthe Wormwood?

Medicines have been made using this common wormwood, Artemisia Absinthium since Ancient times. It has been used before :-
- To counteract poisoning caused by toadstools and hemlock.
- It is described as a tonic.
- To decrease a fever.
- As a digestive stimulant.
- To treat parasitic intestinal worms.
Wormwood gives Absinthe it’s bitter taste, green color and it’s name. One can see the famous “louche” effect caused by the essential oils when water is added to the drink.
Due to the harmful effects of thujone Absinthe was restricted in many countries. Absinthe drinking was linked to different crimes and problems and thujone was thought to be a psychoactive and psychedelic element. Absinthe was claimed to be responsible for the murder of a french family though the killer was actually an alcoholic who consumed plenty of other alcohols after the Absinthe!
This drink was enjoyed by most of the writers and artists before it’s illegalization. It was banned in many European countries and also in the USA but was never banned in the UK, where it had never been popular, Spain, Portugal or the Czech Republic.

Absinthe Wormwood Revival

There was never any real evidence linking Absinthe drinking to hallucinations or insanity and it is now known that Absinthe is no worse than any other highly alcoholic drink. The alcoholic content in Absinthe is twice than that in whisky and vodka so care should be taken while consuming it but Absinthe wormwood is not thought to be harmful. Many Absinthe drinkers do report feeling a funny lucid or clear headed type of drunkenness when consuming a bit too much Absinthe – this could be due to the combination of the sedative effects of some of the herbs (and the alcohol content)and the stimulating effects of the Wormwood and other herbs.

Absinthe drinking became a revival after it’s relegalization in many countries. There are many different types and brands of Absinthe available to buy and buyers can even order Absinthe essence, to make their own Absinthe, online from companies like AbsintheKit.com.

Absinthe Wormwood is still the most important ingredient in Absinthe today but thujone content is strictly regulated in the European Union (no more than 10mg/kg) and the United States where only trace amounts are allowed. One should avoid Absinthe containing artificial flavors.