Absinthe is a strongly alcoholic aperitif made from alcohol
and distilled herbs or herbal extracts, chief amongst them
grand wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) and green anise, but
also almost always including four other herbs: petite
wormwood (Artemisia pontica), fennel, hyssop, and melissa
(lemon balm).
The most popular misconception about absinthe is that it is
an illicit drug, or at least similar to a drug in effect.
This is not true. The hysteria surrounding absinthe in the
early 20th century fueled the misconception that absinthe
was a powerful intoxicant, caused hallucinations that drove
men mad, threw them into epileptic fits, and made van Gogh
slice off his ear.
The truth however, is both more interesting and less
sensational. The story centers around a substance called
thujone, which is a natural constituent of wormwood, and
regarded as its 'active' ingredient. Thujone was said to be
hallucinogenic and/or harmful, causing the distinct
syndrome 'absinthism'; this is why there's been a de facto
ban on absinthe all these years.
Scientists from the USA, the UK and Germany have now
uncovered the truth about thujone in absinthe by, for the
very first time, analyzing the actual thujone content of a
representative sampling of original vintage absinthes.
Their study has recently appeared in the American Chemical
Society's peer-reviewed Journal of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry but is already available on the internet. The
full text can be accessed for free at:
http://www.thujone.info/thujone-absinthe-39.html
Perhaps surprisingly, samples of absinthe made in France
and Switzerland before the ban survive today. Rare,
still-sealed bottles of the famous elixir emerge from the
dust of history from time to time. In an extensive
international effort, more than a dozen samples of
authentic vintage pre-ban absinthes were collected, from
bottles found in France, Switzerland, Spain, Italy, the
Netherlands, and the USA. Only bottles meeting very strict
authenticity standards were used (e.g. intact wax seals,
original corks and labels).
In total, thirteen pre-ban absinthes, including many of the
largest and most popular brands, were analyzed for thujone
as well as for further parameters that have been
hypothesized as contributing to the toxicity of pre-ban
absinthe, including naturally occurring herbal essences
(e.g. pinocamphone, fenchone), methanol, higher alcohols,
copper, and antimony.
The results of the analysis show conclusively that the
thujone concentration of pre-ban absinthe has been grossly
overestimated in the past. Papers published in the 1980's
and 1990's postulated thujone concentrations as high as 260
mg/L, on the basis of purely theoretical calculations, not
actual analysis. It's already well known that modern
absinthes made according to historical recipes don't have
anything like these levels of thujone ' now, this new study
has shown that the original absinthes of the Belle
Époque also had only very moderate levels of thujone.
The total thujone content of the 13 pre-ban samples was
found to range between 0.5 and 48.3 mg/L. Contrary to
ill-informed speculation, the average thujone content of
25.4 ± 20.3 mg/L fell within the modern EU limit of 35
mg/L.
All other constituents were also toxicologically
inconspicuous. Nothing besides ethanol was found in the
absinthes able to explain the so-called syndrome
'absinthism'. In other words, the entire historical
demonization of absinthe is based on a false premise ' that
it is a thujone-rich drink. It isn't.
It is now increasingly clear in fact that well-made
absinthes following authentic traditional recipes seldom
have thujone levels much in excess of the EU limit. It
seems that irrespective of the quantity of wormwood used,
relatively little thujone makes it through the distilling
process into the final distillate. The importance of this
finding can't be overstated. Many herbs, including those
commonly used in cooking, contain substances that if
consumed in enormous quantities are potentially harmful.
But common sense tells us that they are safe to use,
because in practice these substances are only present in
miniscule amounts. Likewise with absinthe ' yes it contains
thujone, yes thujone is potentially harmful, but the
quantity of thujone actually in a bottle of absinthe is
extremely small.
----------------------------------------------------
David Nathan-Maister is the MD of Oxygenee Ltd, a UK-based
company operating in the field of absinthe, and rare and
ancient spirits. A former winemaker, his involvement with
absinthe dates back more than a decade. He's the proprietor
of the acclaimed Virtual Absinthe Museum at
http://www.oxygenee.com , the most comprehensive online
resource for the history and lore of absinthe, which
showcases his own remarkable collection of absinthiana.
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