Posts Tagged ‘absint’
What are the Effects of Absinthe?
Now that Absinthe is again
legal in countries around the world, people are asking “What are the effects of Absinthe?”, “Will it make me trip and hallucinate?”, “Will I perhaps see the Green Fairy?”.
Absinthe is a mythical drink with many legends and stories surrounding it. Created in Switzerland as an elixir or tonic by Dr Pierre Ordinaire, Absinthe 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, the
age 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. Next 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 base of wine and
flavored it with natural herbal ingredients such as wormwood, fennel, aniseed, star anise, veronica, dittany, lemon balm, hyssop, nutmeg, angelica and dittany. Many manufacturers used additional herbs such as coriander, calamus root and mint.
So, what are the major effects of Absinthe?
Absinthe was 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 other types of drugs and was thought to be psychoactive and to cause:-
– Hallucinations
– Over excitability
– Spasms
– Destroying the intellect
– Insanity
– Addiction
– Damage of the brain
– Violence
– Death
Artists and writers consumed Absinthe to help them get inspiration and many said that it was responsible for their genius. Famous Absinthe poetry.
The prohibition led people to believe that Absinthe was going to drive the French people 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 and that it caused epileptic fits. The prohibition movement blamed Absinthe for causing a man to murder his whole family, despite the fact that he had only consumed two glasses of the drink. The consumption of Absinthe was also 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 vintage bottles have proven these claims about thujone levels and the safety of Absinthe completely false. Absinthe only contained very small amounts, up to 6mg, not enough to cause anyone to even hallucinate a little. Absinthe has been shown in studies to be as safe as any other alcoholic drink.
Absinthe is a very strong drink which is up the 75% alcohol and it might not help you see green fairies but it will get you drink rather quickly. The mysterious blend of alcohol and herbs will give you a strange experience, a “lucid” or “clear headed” drunkenness – a completely new experience!
So, what are some of the effects of Absinthe? There are no bad effects except if you overdo it and perhaps get a hangover. Absinthe is a drink to be enjoyed and to make you feel good. Buy good quality Absinthe which contains wormwood which is real 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/.