Absinthe thujone is the chemical seen in Absinthe’s vital ingredient, the plant referred to as Common Wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium to give it its botanical name. The substance thujone was partly accountable for Absinthe being banned in the early 1900s in several countries across the world and thujone remains tightly regulated today absinthe supreme, particularly in the United States (or states united).

Thujone was considered to be similar to THC seen in cannabis and Absinthe was speculated to be psychoactive and have psychedelic effects producing hallucinations and insanity. Absinthe was popular with the Bohemian set in Montmartre in Paris and many artists and writers believed that Absinthe, the Green Fairy, gave them inspiration in addition to their genius. Renowned Absinthe drinkers include Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Degas, Baudelaire and Verlaine. Some say that Van Gogh’s madness was brought on by Absinthe and that he cut off his ear under its effect . Absinthe was even held responsible for a man murdering his family, even though he had consumed a number of other strong alcoholic drinks right after the Absinthe.

Prohibition campaigners used news of the murder to campaign for the outlawing of Absinthe and charged France’s growing problems of alcoholism on the emerald liquor.

Is Absinthe Thujone Unsafe?

Today’s studies suggest that it was actually the alcohol (ethanol) content of Absinthe that was dangerous instead of the thujone. Absinthe is doubly strong as spirits like whisky and vodka and can be 75% alcohol. Care should therefore be used when ingesting Absinthe. Thujone is merely contained in minute quantities and must therefore cause no major negative effects or health issues. The EU stipulates that alcoholic beverages with an ABV (alcohol by volume) level over 25% may only have a maximum of 10mg/kg of thujone, beverages classed as “bitters” can contain as much as 35mg/kg, it’s not entirely clear which class Absinthe fits into but many brands of Absinthe have much less than 35mg with many being under 10mg/kg. In the US it is simply legal to get or sell Absinthes with trace quantities of thujone.

High doses of thujone may be dangerous leading to convulsions but you will have to drink a substantial amount of Absinthe to consume that quantity of thujone and it might be impossible to drink that amount, you would be comatosed from alcohol before then!

Absinthe Ingredients

It is known that Henri-Louis Pernod, who owned the initial Absinthe distillery, utilized the herbs wormwood, aniseed, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica root, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, juniper and veronica to make his famous Pernod Absinthe. The essential oil from these herbs is responsible for La Louche, the clouding which occurs when water is included with Absinthe. These herbs particularly the aniseed and anise are accountable for the distinctive aniseed or licorice taste of Absinthe and wormwood is liable for the bitter flavor. Absinthe is sometimes used as bitters in cocktails.

There are lots of brands of Absinthe or Absinthe substitutes that were developed over the ban and so contain no Absinthe thujone or wormwood, but many would claim that Absinthe is not Absinthe without Absinthe thujone and the bitter taste of wormwood. If you’d like real Absinthe look for brands that contain wormwood or Absinthe thujone.