Thujone - Open Forum at Absinthe Fever

The thujone page fails to address the common myth regarding thujone levels in 19th century absinthe vs. present-day products. Also, no attempt is made to dispel the associated incorrect belief that "more thujone = more 'effective' absinthe".

Despite popular belief, 19th century absinthes did *not* contain more thujone than the products available today. For a long time, it was thought that vintage absinthes were more thujone-rich than current varieties. This was shown to be a misconception once reliable testing methods for thujone content became available. Testing for thujone is painstaking, expensive and prone to errors, and accurate testing methods have only become available within the last few years. When vintage absinthes were first reliably tested for thujone, the results showed levels of thujone well within the current European standard.

Also, it is debatable whether or not thujone is the *only* compound responsible for the so-called absinthe effects. Genuine absinthe is a complex liquer, made from a range of different herbs, each with its unique properties. It is likely that some (or all) of these work in combination and so produce the effects that absinthe is known for. In my mind, thujone may not deserve *all* the credit here, though it undeniably plays an important role. But judging the quality of absinthe by its thujone content alone is crude and plain misguided. Absinthe is far more complex, and far more subtle, a drink.

The Absinthe Drinkers is a Philadelphia band that spawns catchy, original pop/funk/rock/whatever songs from works of literature ancient and modern. The Drinkers have funkified Baudelaire, punkified Shakespeare, and rockified a number of modern writers.

"We took the name Absinthe Drinkers when we started because it seemed we were pulling a lot of material from that period of art/literature," says Chris McDonough (vocals).

"A now regular feature in our live shows is our host Thujone, who may appear in the form of one of the following:

- Alien Thujone, Pliedian Humanologist (Abductor of Abductees)
- Doctor Thujone, Man of SCIENCE
- Monsieur Thujone, Gentleman Impressario
- Inspector Thujone, Investigator Extraordinaire
- Robot Thujone, Helper/Enslaver of Humanity"

Tue, Jan 23rd & Thu, Jan 25th at 9pm
L'etage
Northwest corner of 6th & Bainbridge Streets,
Philadelphia
$10 at door

"Monsieur Thujone's Cabinet of Musical-Visual Curiousities"

Delights for the ears and eyes! A night of strange music, video, and theater featuring: The Absinthe Drinkers - musical-litpop-visual-whatnot. Sex? Yes! Murder? Yes! Sexy Murders? Absolutely! The Tbaggadelics - songs about drinking, monsters, and life. Mostly drinking with monsters. Mr. Dead Guy - he's scary. But Baby Cheezwits is SCARIER! DJ/VJ Ryan - pokes your eye and ear-holes with dancin' music and visuals.

Unfortunately many people have fallen into a fallacy, believing that because thujone was targeted in the past it must be the cause of any "absinthe effects." Modern evidence has shown that absinthe contains very little thujone and that thujone inhibits GABA receptor activation, which would not cause hallucinations or other reported effects. While it was blamed by poor science in the past, it has been picked up by modern myth and is used by companies to hype poor products even though it has no effect on absinthe drinkers.

More information,
http://www.wormwoodsociety.org/thujone.html
http://www.thujone.info/

It is my understanding that thujone (from wormwood) and anethole (from fennel and star anise) are jointly responsible for the effect experienced by the absinthe drinker. Thujone was traditionally suspected, while the other herbal constituents of absinthe were ignored.

According to other sources that I have read, there are three components of absinthe which combine to create the pleasant effects that all absinthe enthusiasts praise and love. These three herbs are green anise, florence fennel and grande wormwood.

In addition to this absinthe holy trinity, there are many other herbs that can be used for flavor reasons. These additional herbs include "hyssop, melissa, star anise and petite wormwood (Artemisia pontica or Roman wormwood). Various recipes also include angelica root, Sweet Flag, dittany leaves, coriander, veronica, juniper, nutmeg, and various mountain herbs."

My curiosity flurished after having seen (a bunch of times) "Dracula" w/ Gary Oldman and "From Hell" w/ Johnny Depp about this infamous alcoholic drink called ABSINTHE. So I went online, searched and finally purchased an Absinthe Brewing Kit. The kit comes with everything: Absinthium Herbs in a muslin bag (wormwood 1.2oz, hyssop, calamis, melissa, anise seed, fennel seed, star anise and coriander seed) another smaller bag (flavoring) comes w/ mint, melissa, wormwood, citron peel and liquorice root. A couple of micron filters are included since at home you don't have the proper equipment for distillation this method will filter it. Along with a bottle, sugar cubes, Absinthe Spoon and a glass. I'm on day 2 of the eight needed to fulfill the process with Everclear and Vodka. I may say that I'm a bit nervous about a true story I read on how a man's son who purchased online woodworm oil (unlike me) died of seizures! This company I purchased the kit from states that Thujone level is between 70-90mg/L but then again, they can say whatever they want to in order to sell their product but whose to know? I really want to enjoy my visit with the "Green Fairy" but I don't look forward to any health complications because of it. Any tips/ suggestions I can use to ease my worries? Is there a limit on drinks? Is the right amount of water added to the Absinthe 5 oz. water to 1 oz. Absinthe? Is more than three drinks ok or is that considered enough? I mean really, "How much thujone oil is considered safe?"
Desperately seeking advise from all you professionals out there. Much Regards!

Thujone is found in a variety of common plants and herbs. In absinthe, thujone comes from wormwood (pictured), the wild-growing perennial that is especially rich in the substance. (Photo: H. Kress)

About thujone

The Wikipedia entry on thujone gives an overview of the substance's chemical composition and pharmacology. Also includes a brief discussion of thujone content in absinthe (modern and pre-ban).

Vivienne Baillie Gerritsen, writing for the Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics in 2005, isn't too thrilled by the Green Fairy's comeback. A scientific analysis of the effect of thujone, or a modern-day anti-absinthe rant? You decide.

Should you care to know that the substance's formal chemical name is "1-isopropyl-4-methylbicyclo[3.1.0] hexan-3-one", then the geeky 3Dchem's interactive 3-D model of the thujone molecule is a toy you'll like. Unfortunately, the associated article contains quite a few factual errors.