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Date: Tue, 2 Mar 93 14:14:57 CST
From: matthew john baggott <bagg@midway.uchicago.edu>
To: lamont@hyperreal.com (Lamont Granquist)
Subject: Absinthe FAQ
This FAQ file was prepared by Matthew Baggott (bagg@ellis.uchicago.edu)
for distribution on the newsgroup alt.drugs. Comments, questions, referenced
information, and personally-collected anecdotes relating to absinthe and wormwood
are welcome.
File
last
updated on 3-FEB-93.
The following individuals contributed information or editorial skills
to this
FAQ file: Michael Golden (mgolden@eecs.umich.edu) archived the
recipies
which were posted to rec.food.drink by unknown parties; Laurent Hagimont
(hagimont@cnam.cnam.fr) and Johnny Svensson (svensson@ISI.edu)
supplied information about the current availability of absinthe; Johnny
Svensson also gave information about wormwood's use as a flavoring
in
vodka. Myra Chachkin cs_myra@gsbvax.uchcicago.edu) provided
editorial
comments on an earlier draft of this FAQ file.These individuals
deserve much credit for helping to compile obscure data. Nonetheless,
the perspectives, arguments, and errors of this file are mine alone.
Absinthe is an alcoholic drink made with an extract from wormwood
(Artemisia absinthium). It is an emerald green drink which is
very
bitter (due to the presence of absinthin) and is therefore traditionally
poured over a perforated spoonful of sugar into a glass of water. The
drink then turns into an opaque white as the essential oils
precipitate out of the alcoholic solution. Absinthe was
once popular among
artists and writers and was used by Van Gogh, Baudelaire, and Verlaine,
to name a few. It appears to have been believed to stimulate
creativity.
However, in the 1850's, there began to be concern about the results
of
chronic use. Chronic use of absinthe was believed to produce
a syndrome,
called absinthism, which was characterized by addiction, hyperexcitability,
and hallucinations. This concern over the health effects of absinthe
was
amplified by the prevailing belief in Lamarckian theories of heredity.
In other words, it was believed that any traits acquired by absinthists
would be passed on to their children (1). Absinthe's association
with
the bohemian lifestyle also worked to compound fears about its effects,
much as has happened with marijuana in America. Absinthe was
subsequently
banned in many countries in the beginning of the 1900's.
This issue is not entirely resolved. Alcohol is definitely one
main
component. However, another candidate is the monoterpene, thujone,
which
which is considered a convulsant. Thujone's mechanism of
action is not known, although structural similarities between thujone
and tetrahydrocannabinol (the active component in marijuana) have led
some to hypothesize that both substances have the same site of action
in
the brain. Thujone makes up 40 to 90% (by weight) of the essence
of
wormwood, from which absinthe is made (2). Thus, thujone would
appear to
be a good candidate for a second active component in absinthe. Indeed,
thujone has long been considered to be the neurotoxic cause of
absinthism.
However, the direct evidence to support this idea is scant. Absinthe
is 75% alcohol. Therefore, alcohol's effects will limit the amount
of
thujone one can ingest. Quite simply, you can only drink a moderate
amount
of absinthe before you become very drunk from the alcohol. Thujone
would
have to be active at a very low dose or be present in high quantities
in
order to have any appreciable effect. In the "This and That" column
in Trends in the Pharmacological Sciences, "B. Max" made the following
dose calculations:
How much thujone was present in absinthe? Steam distillation of wormwood
yields 0.27-0.40% of a bitter, dark-green oil (3) In a typical recipe for absinthe,
2.5 kg of wormwood were used in
preparing 100 liters of absinthe (4). Typically, 1.5 oz was consumed (diluted
with water) per tipple (5). This is equivalent to 4.4 mg wormwood oil per
drink, or 2-4 mg thujone. This is far below the level at which acute pharmacological
effects are observed.
Even chronic administration of 10 mg/kg thujone to rats does not alter spontaneous
activity of conditioned behavior (6). The literature on the pharmacology
of thujone is, to put it bluntly, second rate, and conclusions as to its
effects
have been extrapolated far beyond the experimental base (7).
Furthermore, the symptoms of absinthism do not appear to be that unlike
those of alcoholism. Hallucinations, sleeplessness, tremors,
paralysis,
and convulsions can also be noted in cases of alcoholism. This
suggests
that the syndrome "absinthism" may well have been caused by alcohol.
Because absinthe is no longer popular, little research has been done
into
its effects on health. Reports on thujone's/absinthe's toxicity
seem
to rely mostly on case reports from the beginning of the century or
earlier. Lacking more recent research, it seems most reasonable
to take
reports of absinthe's toxicity with skepticism.
Essentially,
there is
little good data to suggest that absinthe's active components were
anything
other than alcohol.
(In fairness, I should mention that several individuals who have taken
home-made absinthe or who have drunk it where it is legal have claimed
to me that it produced an intoxication unlike that of alcohol.)
In addition to alcohol and thujone, absinthe sometimes contained
methanol (wood alcohol), which could have contributed to the symptoms
of absinthism. Calamus (acorus calamus) and nutmeg (myristica
fragrans)
were also sometimes used in making absinthe. Both plants have
reputations
for being psychedelics, although to my best of knowledge only nutmeg's
psychedelic properties have been well established.
However, it
seems
unlikely that either plant would have been added in the quanitities
necessary to produce psychoactive effects.
For those of you who want to see the molecule thujone, the following
is a
simple postscript routine which draws the molecule:
Pernod
is basically absinthe without the wormwood. It is named
after
Henri-Louis Pernod, an individual who ran an absinthe factory in France
in
the early 1800s. As a substitute for wormwood, the modern drink
Pernod
uses increased amounts of aniseed. Ricard is the name of another
modern wormwood-less absinthe.
Also, vermouth, chartreuse, and benedictine all contain small amounts
of thujone. In fact, vermouth, which is made using the flower
heads
from wormwood, takes its name from the german "wermuth" ("wormwood").
Absinthe (made with wormwood) is still available in Spain and reportedly
in Denmark and Portugal as well.
Wormwood is popular as a flavoring for vodka in Sweden.
It is also possible to buy oil of wormwood (produced by steam distillation)
from companies that sell essential oils.
One such company is
The Essential
Oil Co., PO Box 206, Lake Oswego, OR, 97034. 503-697-5992; FAX
503-697-0615;
Orders 1-800-729-5912. Catalog is free, but there is a $50 minimum
order
(orders under $50 are accepted but charged an additional $5 service
charge).
The company also sells other oils of interest to readers of this newsgroup.
Caution should be exercised with these oils since they can contain
significant amounts of pharmacologically active and/or toxic elements.
[Anmerkung Just say KNOW!] Inzwischen ist Absinth mit einer gewissen Thujonkonzentration in Deutschland wieder zugelassen. Bezugsquellen s. auch SONSTIGES/KOMMERZIELLE LINKS
According to W. N. Arnold's Scientific American article:
Thujone occurs in a variety of plants, including tansy (Tanace-tum
vulgare) and sage (salvia officinalis), as well as in all the trees
of the arborvitae group, of which the thuja (Thuja occidentalis),
or white cedar, is one. It is also characteristic of most species
of Artemisia, a genus within the Compositae, or
daisy, family. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and Roman wormwood
(Artemisia pontica) were the main sources of the thujone in
absinthe (4).
Simon and Schulter's Guide to Herbs and Spices tells
us that Henri-Louis
Pernod used aniseed, fennel, hyssop, and lemonbalm along with lesser
amounts of angelica, star anise, dittany, juniper, nutmeg, and veronica.
These ingredients were mascerated together with wormwood plants. After
leaving the mixture to sit, water was added and the mixture was
distilled. Dried herbs, including more wormwood, were added to
the
distillate, which was then diluted with alcohol to give a concentration
of about 75% alcohol by volume (8). Different absinthe manufacturers
used slightly different ingredients, sometimes using calamus, which
has been purported to have psychoactive effects.
In addition to these ingredients, manufacturers sometimes added other
ingredients to produce the drink's emerald green color. Normally,
this color
was due to the presence of chlorophyll from the plants.
However,
in
the event that the product was not properly colored, absinthe makers
were
known to add things like copper sulfate, indigo, turmeric, and aniline
green. Antimony chloride was also used to help the drink become
cloudy when
added to water. Presumably modern makers of Pernod and absinthe
use safer
ingredients for their concoctions!
Here are some recipes for "absinthe" which were originally posted to
rec.food.drink. Absinthe is placed in quotes since only the last
recipe here will produce something resembling the traditional drink.
I have not personally tried these recipes and do not claim that they
are safe
or even tasty.
Place vodka in large jar with tight fitting lid. Add wormwood and shake well; steep 48 hrs and strain out. Crush seeds and pods in mortar. Add them and all remaining spices to vodka and steep in a warm place 1 week. Filter and sweeten. (The sugar syrup mentioned above is your standard simple syrup.)
Steep wormwood in vodka for 48 hours. Strain out and add peppermint leaves and lemon peel. Steep for 8 days, strain and sweeten. Smells good but is more bitter than #1.
All herbs are dried.
Steep herbs one week, filter and bottle. My notes describe this as "bitter, aromatic and potent".
From Arnold's article in Scientific American:
An 1855 recipe from Pontarlier, France, gives
the following instructions for making absinthe: Macerate
2.5 kilograms of dried wormwood, 5 kilograms of anise and 5 kilograms
of fennel in 95 liters of 85 percent ethanol by volume. Let
the mixture steep for at least 12 hours in the pot of a double boiler.
Add 45 liters of water and apply heat; collect 95 liters of
distillate. To 40 liters of the distillate, add 1 kilogram of Roman
wormwood, 1 kilogram of hyssop and 500 grams of lemon balm, all of
which have been dried and finely divided. Extract at a moderate
temperature, then siphon off the liquor, filter, and reunite it with
the remaining 55 liters of distillate. Dilute with water to produce
approximately 100 liters of absinthe with a final alcohol concentration
of 74 percent by volume (4).
(1) Murphy, R. B. and Schneider, L. H. (1992) Soc. Neurosci. Abstr.,
18,
(2) Simonsen, J. L. (1949) The Terpenes Vol. 2, Univ. Press.
(3) Guenther, E. (1952) The Essential Oils Vol. 5, Van Nostrand.
(4) Arnold, W. M. (1989) Scientific American 260 (June), 112-117.
(5) Vogt, D. D. and Montagne, M. (1982) Int. J. Addict 17, 1015-1029.
(6) Pinto-Scognamiglio, W. (1968) Boll. Chim. Farm. 107, 780-791.
(7) Max, B. (1990) TiPS 11 (Feb), 58-60.
(8) Simonetti, Gualtiero (1990) Simon and Schuster's Guide to Herbs and Spices, Simon and Schuster.
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