What are the known Effects of Absinthe?

Now that Absinthe is once again legal in many countries around the world, people are asking “What are the effects of Absinthe?”, “Will it make me hallucinate?”, “Will this cause me to see the Green Fairy?”.

Absinthe is a mythical drink with many legends and stories surrounding it. Orginally created in Switzerland as an elixir by Dr Pierre Ordinaire, it quickly became a best selling alcoholic beverage when Henri-Louis Pernod started distilling it in France. In fact, it overtook beer, cider and even wine as the most popular drink in France in the period known as La Belle Epoque, the golden age leading up to the First World War.

Famous drinkers of Absinthe include Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and Oscar

Wilde who said “After the first glass of Absinthe you see things as you wish they were. After the second you begin to 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 his recipe for Absinthe from a wine base flavored with natural herbal ingredients such as wormwood, fennel, aniseed, star anise, veronica, dittany, lemon balm, hyssop, nutmeg, angelica and dittany. Some manufacturers used additional herbs such as coriander and mint.

So, what are the major effects of Absinthe?

Absinthe became 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 other types of drugs and was thought to be psychoactive and to cause:-

- Hallucinations
- Over excitability
- Convulsions and other spasms
- Weakening of the intellect
- Insanity
- Addiction
- Brain damages
- Violence
- Death

Artists and writers drank Absinthe to help them get inspiration and many said they it was responsible for their genius. Famous Absinthe poetry.

The prohibition led people to believe that Absinthe was going to drive the French people insane, make them immoral and cause the collapse of the nation. After doctors tested wormwood and thujone, the chemical in wormwood, they claimed that it was like cannabis and could cause epileptic fits. The prohibition movement blamed Absinthe for causing a young man to murder his whole family after only consuming a few glasses. Consuming Absinthe was also famously blamed for Van Gogh cutting off his own ear and for his suicide.

Absinthe was thought to contain huge amounts of thujone, up to 350mg per liter but high tech tests on vintage bottles have proved these claims to be completely false. Absinthe contained a 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 will not help you see green fairies but it is very strong drink, up to 75% alcohol -- so will get your drunk rather quckly. Also the mysterious blend of alcohol and herbs will give you a strange drunken 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 a hangover if you overdo it. Absinthe is to be enjoyed and to make you feel good. Buy high quality Absinthe which contains real wormwood or make your own with essences from AbsintheKit.come and enjoy the exciting taste of the Green Fairy. Absinthe kits are available from http://absinthekit.com/.