With Absinthe now having been cleared for sale in the U.S. and more and more people trying it every day, wormwood is becoming the topic of conversations in drinking establishments across the the country.
What is it and where is it grown? In spite its being described in its name as being a “wood”, it is in fact what most people would recognize as being a shrub. In centuries past it was commonly used for many purposes, including a main ingredient in many tonics due to the thujone it contains.
In fact, when absinthe was first made in Switzerland it was marketed as a health tonic due to the fact that it contained wormwood as one of its many ingredients. Wormwood is mostly grown commercially in Europe but it is available in raw form on the Internet from specialty spice and herb retailers.
There are several varieties of wormwood that are grown with one of them being “Grand Wormwood” that is grown in Switzerland and is used exclusively in Kubler premium absinthe.
One of the properties that it is said to contain is the ability to induce hallucinogenic effects on people that consume it due to its thujone content and it is for this reason that so many people in the U.S. are particularly intrigued by this unique herb.
Wormwood is also noted for its unusually bitter taste and it is for this reason that it is used as a flavoring agent in products such as absinthe. Wormwood has also been used in the past as a replacement for hops in some European beers due to its bitterness.
If you are planning on buying wormwood on the Internet and experimenting with it, it is is highly recommended that you exercise some level of caution when you do so, as it can have toxic effects if consumed in large quantities.
