Absinthe wormwood is normally Artemisia Absinthium or Grand Wormwood which is actually a variety of wormwood which does not contain a vast amount of the chemical thujone. Some brands of Absinthe use Roman Wormwood, Artemisia Pontica besides Grand Wormwood so drinks with two types of wormwood may have more thujone content. Thujone amounts can differ between brands significantly, some Absinthes only have negligible amounts of thujone, whereas others have up to 35mg/kg. The sell of Absinthe with negligible amounts of thujone is legalized in the USA.

Absinthe Wormwood has a controversy?

Since Ancient times common Wormwood is being used as a medicine. It has already been used:-
- To decrease poisoning caused by toadstools and hemlock.
- It is described as a tonic.
- To reduce a fever.
- One can use it as a stimulant to digestion.
- To deal with parasitic intestinal worms.
Due to wormwood Absinthe got it’s bitter taste, green color and name. The essential herbal oils in Absinthe are also responsible for the famous “louche” effect which appears when the drink is mixed with water.
The thujone content has many harmful effects because of which Absinthe was banned in most of the countries in the beginning of 1900s. Absinthe drinking was believed to be a danger on a country. A french man killed his whole family after drinking Absinthe and lots of other alcohols for which Absinthe was claimed to be the basic cause!
This drink was enjoyed by most of the writers and artists before it’s illegalization. Absinthe was never restricted in the UK, Spain, Portugal or the Czech Republic though banned in many European countries.

Absinthe Wormwood Revival

There was never any real evidence linking Absinthe drinking to hallucinations or insanity and it is now known that Absinthe is no worse than any other highly alcoholic drink. As Absinthe has approximately twice the alcoholic content in comparison to other drinks so it should be consumed in moderation but the wormwood in it is not harmful at all. The combination of the sedative effects of some of the herbs (and the alcohol content)and the stimulating effects of the Wormwood and other herbs can make a person feel a funny lucid or clear headed type of drunkenness when consuming heavy dose of Absinthe.

In the 1990s Absinthe was legalized in many countries which gave rise to a renewed interest in Absinthe drinking. There are many different types and brands of Absinthe available to buy and buyers can even order Absinthe essence, to make their own Absinthe, online from companies like AbsintheKit.com.

The European Union and the United States allow only trace amounts of thujone which is an important content of Absinthe. Absinthe containing real wormwood and herbs is important for a person.