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The physical effects of Absinthe are not known to many people? As Absinthe was restricted in the 1900s and was illegal for decades so lots of people were unaware of it’s taste.

Absinthe is an anise flavored distilled alcoholic beverage prepared with a wine base and flavored with herbs. The distillation of Absinthe is done with three main herbs known as common wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), aniseed and fennel.

Dr Pierre Ordinaire, in Couvet, Switzerland in the 18th century produced Absinthe. It was prepared by him as a medicine for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started making Absinthe in Couvet and then in Pontarlier, France.

Absinthe became a very famous drink and was used to treat malaria by French soldiers. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries it became the most popular drink in France. Along with France Absinthe became well known in several other countries.

Absinthe was served with apparel such as a special Absinthe glass, a slotted Absinthe spoon and an Absinthe fountain or carafe of iced water. After diluting it with a sugar and water solution it was served.

“Sweat” magazine “Battle Cry” contains an article related to Absinthism, a “disease” caused by prolonged Absinthe drinking. Doctors claimed that it was far worse than normal alcoholism and had the following symptoms:-

Initial Symptoms after consuming Absinthe:-

- A feeling of exhilaration
– Hallucinations
– A person can suffer with restless nights having dangerous nightmares
– Nausea and vomiting
– Trembling
– Dizziness

Symptoms of long term Absinthe abuse:-

- Frothing and convulsions
– Delirium
– One can suffer with hypersensitivity
– One can suffer with loss of libido
– Feeling of hot and cold
– Insanity
– Paralysis
– Death

The French Academy of Medicine asked that Absinthe be forbidden in 1900 but their pleas were ignored. It took for governments to act because a family was murdered by an Absinthe drinker in Switzerland. Switzerland banned Absinthe in 1908, Italy in 1913 and France in 1915.

According to the belief thujone caused the Absinthe’s physical effects. According to the belief thujone was a psychoactive, a neurotoxin and active on the GABA receptors in the brain. It was even compared to THC in the drug cannabis.

However, recent research with traditional pre ban Absinthe recipesand gas chromatography  tests on vintage bottles of original Absinthe have all shown that, contrary to belief, Absinthe only contained a maximum of 6mg of thujone rather than 350mg which is what people believed it contained. This amount of thujone was nowhere near a harmful level.

Many now believe that Absinthe was unfairly blamed and that Absintheis no more dangerous than any other strong liquor. The ABV in it is high related to other alcoholic drink so one should be careful and drink it in balanced quantity.

Learning the physical effects of Absinthe?

Most believe that Absinthe has no physical effects like causing hallucinations but those who consume bottled Absinthes, or stronger Absinthes made using kits like those available from AbsintheKit.One can visit AbsintheKit.com for a “clear headed” or “lucid” drunkenness. This may be due to Absinthe’s blend of herbs. A few herbs act as stimulants and others as sedatives.

So, what are the physical effects of Absinthe? There is a feeling of pleasure and enjoyment and also a clear headed alcoholism.

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Absinthe has an interesting history. Absinthe was created in Couvet of Switzerland, in the late 18th century by a French doctor as a medicine. By 1805 the Absinthe recipes had got into the hands of Henri-Louis Pernod who started distilling it in his factory in Pontarlier in France.

Original Absinthe Recipes

Pernod’s Absinthe, Original Pernod Fils, was distilled from wine and contained many natural herbs and essential oils from plants including grand wormwood, aniseed, melissa, fennel, lemon balm, dittany, angelica root, hyssop, star anise, nutmeg and juniper.

A variety of recipes and ingredients were used by different producers of Absinthe,The Green Fairy. Absinthe is also prepared using the herbs like calamus root, mint, cloves, nutmeg, roman wormwood, anise seed, coriander, sweet flag and licorice. The herb wormwood, Artimesia Absinthium was the basic ingredient of pre-ban Absinthe which gave Absinthe it’s characteristic bitter flavor and name.

The THC in the drug cannabis and thujone in wormwood was thought to be similar. A person consuming decent amount of thujone can suffer with psychedelic effects. Anise seed and fennel seed both contain anethole which is said to be psychoactive and Angelica root is grown as a drug in Lapland. Some artists and writers like Van Gogh and Oscar Wilde believed that they got their genius and inspiration from Absinthe! “A clear headed drunkenness” is the explanation on how being drunk on Absinthe.

Absinthe was claimed to be dangerous for the society so it was illegalized in France in 1915. Just like other strong alcoholic drinks drinking Absinthe is also safe. Absinthe is not dangerous for anyone as it is basically alcohol and only contains only a small amount of wormwood and the other herbs.

Homemade Absinthe Recipes

There are many Absinthe recipes on the Internet using different herbs and different methods – steeping, filtering etc. Absinthe production from plants, dried herbs or essential oils at home is not preferred. Why?
– It is important to use distilled Absinthe.
– It is a bit risky that one cannot know the thujone content of his finished Absinthe.

It is far better to buy either a quality Absinthe, making sure that it’s got the vital ingredient wormwood, or to buy an Absinthe kit which consists of Absinthe essences that have already been distilled.

Breaux’s label “Lucid” is legal in the USA.

AbsintheKit.com does great Absinthe kits which consist of:-

- Absinthe essence – choose from classic, white (which makes clear Swiss style Absinthe, Strong 55 (with a 55mg thujone content) and Orange (flavored with orange oil).
-Take a measure.
– Absinthe bottles can be decorated by Artistic Labels.

14 bottles of Absinthe can be made from a bottle of essence!

Simply mix 20ml of the Absinthe essence with a neutral alcohol to produce own bottled Green Fairy.

Simple and easy to use and, because these essences are the very same as the ones sold to distilleries, you know that you are getting a safe, top-quality product.

If you search online you will find lots of cocktail Absinthe recipes such as Ernest Hemingway’s famous “Death in the Afternoon” – Absinthe and champagne. A person can enjoy searching and mixing of cocktails.

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