Absinth Wormwood

Absinth wormwood is a herb traditionally used in medicine. There are 180 known species in the world, each with different properties. The plant is small and has yellow flowers. It gives out a characteristic wormwood smell, while the roots are a bit sweater and aromatic. The incredible curiosity of humans must be responsible for the use of this plant, as it's extremely bitter. The only other plant that may compete in bitterness is rue. Man has been using it for well over 2000 years for medicinal purposes. It was used by Egyptians who acquired an extensive knowledge of many useful properties in plants.

Wormwood has many components, but thujone is probably the best known, at least has received a lot of attention since it was blamed for causing bizarre effects in absinth drinkers.

When prohibitionists wanted to ban the drinking of absinth, the potent thujone was constantly mentioned. This active ingredient has a chemical similarity with cannabis, and some studies were conducted to demonstrate a similarity in the effects produced.

Absinth wormwood taken in small quantities stimulate the cerebral cortex, eliminate flatulence and indigestion. It's a mental preservative and effectively relieves gout. In large doses it can be nauseous, causing giddiness and provokes something like epilepsy. It is a very powerful herb, and must be treated with respect. To be on the safe side, avoid all "home made absinth", as some people think they'll obtain the drink absinth by simply stuffing an alcoholic drink with wormwood. This is a process called maceration and if done carelessly may lead to severe intoxication. The real XIX absinth drink was distilled, distillation reduces the concentration of thujone to an acceptable doses.

Because of all the fuss surrounding absinth wormwood many producers are marketing low quality products and simply bragging about all the thujone they placed on their products. Although wormwood causes a different effect to alcohol, you will be very disappointed if what you are expecting with absinth is getting high. The drink will definitely alter your senses, but in a subtle way that doesn't last very long.

The plant grows in the wild in most of Europe and North America, its cultivation is pretty straight forward as it is not prone to disease or infection. Prefers a little shade, and is recollected when the flowers have blossomed. The fine quality drink of the old days was made of the flowers of absinth wormwood, which are vary aromatic and have lower thujone concentrations. The stem was left for the cheaper products, and has a higher quantity of thujone.