The effects that traditional absinthe on your body and mind are enveloped in much rumor and myth. The first step in the creation of real absinthe is to macerate wormwood, fennel, and anise with ethanol. The resulting liquid is then distilled; the distillate reduced with water until the desired alcohol content is reached. A secondary herbal maceration is then completed with ingredients such as hyssop, coriander, angelica, veronica, and petite wormwood. This secondary maceration releases chlorophyll into the absinthe yielding the familiar green hue.
Absinthe was banned from much of this planet from the early 1900s until the early 2000s because of a chemical released during the initial macerating process: thujone. Thujone was considered to be a neurotoxin, inducing not only aphrodisiacal and hallucinogenic properties on the imbiber, but also great creative abilities combined with freed inhibitions. In the face of governmental regulation, violent madness was also attributed to thujone.
Modern chemical analysis has yielded thujone safe for human consumption in limited amounts. With the ban lifted in most countries excluding the US, production and interest in the intoxicating beverage has again reached high levels. People jump on the absinthe wagon in droves to be a small, continuing piece of its rich and mysterious legacy. They want to experience its reported abilities to reduce inhibition, flare creativity, and induce ravenous sexual appetites.
The truth lies here: Thujone has not been proven to induce any of these traits, nor have any of the other various herbal ingredients. One component of absinthe has been proven to induce many sorted effects on the human mind and body: ethanol – common drinking alcohol. It is present in absinthe in high quantities, 45 – 75 percent. It may well lessen inhibitory restrictions, induce promiscuous acts, and with extended abuse cause the mind to sense that which does not truly exist. But these effects on the mind and body are not reserved for absinthe alone, any booze will do.
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How to Mix and Drink Absinthe | Review of Information about Wines And Spirits // Jan 15, 2008 at 10:59 am
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Tony // Aug 7, 2008 at 11:21 am
I am a pharmacist with a background in chemistry, bio-chemistry and pharmacology and have done much research on the subject. It is proven that thujone acts on a receptor in the brain that causes alertness, lucidity and clarity. I have tried many, many absinthes and very few have the “absinthe effect” on me. The fact that some do and some don’t point to the conclusion that there is something in absinthe that causes an effect other than and different than the alcohol. Besides wormwood, there are many other herbs in absinthe that are associated with a central nervous system effect. It is possible that in certain concentrations and ratios these substances act differently on the brain. And just like any other drug, different people would be more or less susceptible to these effects.
So, after this, the conclusions I can make is that an absinthe that has an absinthe effect on one person may not have the same effect on another.
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