What are the well known Effects of Absinthe?

Now that Absinthe is again legal in many countries around the world, people are asking “What are the effects of Absinthe?”, “Will it make me trip and hallucinate?”, “Will I see and meet the Green Fairy?”.

Absinthe is a mythical drink with many 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. In fact , Absinthe 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 the Green Fairy include Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso and 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 which he then 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.

So, what are some of the effects of Absinthe?

Absinthe was popular in the time known as “The Great Binge”, a time when beverages which contained cocaine were popular and 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
- Weakening of the intellect
- Insanity
- Addiction
- Causes of brain damage
- Violence
- Death

Artistic types consumed 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. Doctors tested wormwood and thujone, the chemical from wormwood , on animals and claimed that it was like cannabis and that it caused epileptic fits and 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 Absinthe and copious amounts of other alcoholic beverages. 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, 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 hallucinate. Studies have shown that Absinthe is just 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 and easily. The mysterious blend of alcohol and herbs will give you a strange experience, a “lucid” or “clear headed” drunkenness – a completely new experience!

What are the effects of Absinthe? There are no bad effects except perhaps a hangover if you overdo it. Absinthe is a drink to be enjoyed and to make you have a feeling of well being. You should buy good quality Absinthe which contains real wormwood 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/.