Drug info - absinthe basics

[Mint boi]

This is swims first article for this site. Its on the basics of the liquor absinthe.
Comments, criticism (constructive) and questions welcome!
It is swims own work but the wikipedia article on absinthe was used for the historical dates.

Absinthe

Introduction
Absinthe is a high proof, ainse flavored, herbal liquor containing anywhere between 45-90% alcohol. It is derived from three main herbs, green ainse, florence fennel and wormwood aka Artemisia absinthium hence the name absinthe.These three herbs are often refered to as the 'holy trinity' and are essential to absinthe's unique flavor. While these three herbs are the main ingredients in absinthe, some recipies also include, star anise, nutmeg, calamus and many other assortments. Absinthe is traditionally green or clear in colour, but the market now contains red, blue, and even black absinthes. While in some cases these absinthes are coloured naturally most have synthetic dyes added.

Serving
Absinthe is traditionally diluted with water and sometimes sugar is added to the preperation. The adding of sugar and water to absinthe before drinking is almost a ritual among absinthe purists. Absinthe contains oils from the herbal ingredients which are diluted in the alcohol, as water is slowly added to the absinthe these oils can no longer remain diluted and hang in the mixture leaving it cloudy. This process is refered to as the louche. A typical ratio is 3 parts water to 1 part absinthe, but this can vary up to 5 parts water, generally not more. When sugar is to be added a implement know as an absinthe spoon is used, this is a long flat spoon with many holes in it, a cube of sugar is placed on the spoon and held over the absinthe, the water is then dripped over the sugar allowing it to dilute into the mixture. Newer methods of adding sugar involve a spoonful of sugar being soaked in absinthe, lit on fire above the glass and either allowed to drip in to the absinthe or stirred in once the fire has gone down. Note : many commercial absinthes do not louche due to non-natural contents and dyes.

History
Absinthe is thought to have originated in Switzerland around the year 1790, and was originally sold as a medical elixer. By 1860 absinthe had become very popular, mostly among artists and the upper class. France had many absinthe cafés and the drink was popular with famous artists such as Van Gough and Manet. By the 1880's the price of absinthe had fallen and it had gained popularity amoung the normal people of france and of europe. Unfortunately due to pressure from wine makers associations absinthe was banned in switzerland in 1910 and france in 1915, this maked the end of the absinthe era. Currently the ban has been lifted in most counties but generally the level of thurjone is restricted.

Psychoactiveness!
Absinthe always contains ethanol and woodworm. It contains high amounts of ethanol by comparison to normal liquors, normally above 50% and up to 90%.
Woodworm contains among other things thujone, a compound very similar to THC in structure, but it has been seen that thujone does not bind to the cannabinoid receptor. Not a great deal is known about thurjone's effects, it is claimed that reports of hallucinations after consuming absinthe are due to the thujone content but these claims are unfounded. In any case the high alcohol content of absinthe makes consuming any great amount of thurjone very hard especially with recent restrictions on the amount of thurjone allowed in absinthe. Thujone may play a part in absinthes psychoactive effects but with no recent research done in this field its anyones guess!

Calamus a stimulant hallucinogenic at higher doses is added by certain absinthe producers to their product, and while the amount is probably not high enough to cause any noticable effects it may be a fator in absinthe's claimed unique effects.

Nutmeg a deliriant at high doses is also added to certain absinthes and similarly to calamus this may be a contributing factor to absinthe's psychoactive effects.

Reputation Comments on this post:

Excellent first article. Informative. Thank you.

[Heretic.Ape.]

So thurjone is a proposed primary compound of interest? Yet no studies have been done? Have any SWIY's performed any experiments with extraction/consumption? I did a forum search and found no other mention of thurjone, is there a chemical name it also goes by? I did a google search and read an account at another forum of someone extracting and smoking with cannibis with good results...but I tend to be skeptical of most other sites.

[lulz]

Originally Posted by heretic.ape.

So thurjone is a proposed primary compound of interest?

Absinthe is one of the few drugs that my clone doesn't like, and he had high expectations beforehand.

Thujone is a GABA antagonist, which means it creates the exact opposite effect of a benzodiazepine (Xanax, Valium, etc).

People who take a benzo normally describe the sensation as feeling "drunk" because alcohol fits into GABA receptors and activates them (although it has two other effects; NMDA antagonism and opiate activity).

So basically absinthe makes your brain think you're drunk AND blocks the effects of alcohol at the same time.

It's the closest my clone has come to madness.

[Mint boi]

i think the IUPAC name is 3 thujamone.systematic name is (1S-(1-,4-,5-alpha))4-methyl-1-
propan-2-yl-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-3-one and chemical formula: C10H16O

[Mint boi]

sorry for double post, swims after writing thurjone everywhere, should be thujone

[Jatelka]

Please see here....

http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/loc...=1928&catid=55

for some more on thujones