October 29, 2008
What are the known Effects of Absinthe?
Now that Absinthe is again legal in many countries, people are asking “What are the effects of Absinthe?”, “Will it make me trip or hallucinate?”, “Will I see the Green Fairy?”.
Absinthe is a mythical drink with many legends and stories surrounding it. Created in Switzerland as an elixir by Dr Pierre Ordinaire, and it quickly became a best selling alcoholic beverage when Henri-Louis Pernod started distilling it in France. It overtook beer, cider and even wine as the most popular drink in France in the period known as La Belle Epoque leading up to the First World War.
Among the famous drinkers of the Green Fairy was Oscar Wilde who said “After the first glass of Absinthe you see things as you wish they were. After a second you see them as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that can be the most horrible thing in the world.”
Pernod made Absinthe from a wine base and flavored it with many natural herbal ingredients. Some manufacturers used additional herbs such as coriander, and calamus root.
So, what are the major effects of Absinthe?
Absinthe became popular in the time known as “The Great Binge”, a time when beverages containing cocaine were popular and the time when heroin was thought safe to use in medicine. It was linked to these types of drugs and was thought to be psychoactive and to cause:-
- Hallucinations
- Over excitability
- Convulsions and spasms
- Weaking the intellect
- Insanity
- Addiction
- Damage of the brain
- Violence
- Death
Artists and writers who drank Absinthe say it helped them gain inspiration and was responsible for their genius. Famous Absinthe poetry.
The prohibition led people to believe that Absinthe was going to drive the French people insane, make them immoral and cause the collapse of the nation. Doctors tested wormwood and thujone, the chemical from wormwood on animals and claimed that it was like cannabis. The prohibition movement blamed Absinthe for causing a man to murder his whole family. The consumption of Absinthe was also famously blamed for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear and for his suicide.
Absinthe was thought to contain huge amounts of thujone, as much as up to 350 mg per liter. But high tech tests on original vintage bottles have proved that claims about thujone levels and the safety of Absinthe completely false. Absinthe contained very small amounts, up to 6mg, not enough to cause anyone to even hallucinate a little. Studies show that Absinthe is just as safe as any other alcoholic drink.
Absinthe will not help you see green fairies but it is very strong drink, up to 75% alcohol — so will get your drunk rather easily. The mysterious blend of alcohol and herbs will give you a strange drunken experience, a “lucid” or “clear headed” drunkenness – a completely new experience!
So, what are the major effects of Absinthe? Well, there are no bad effects except perhaps a hangover if you overdo it. Absinthe is a drink to be enjoyed and to make you have a feeling of well being. Buy good quality Absinthe which contains real wormwood or make your own with essences from AbsintheKit.Come and enjoy the great taste of the Green Fairy. Absinthe kits are available from http://absinthekit.com/.
