> Further on info in my files that could be googled if wished: > Sorry, I don't think links embedded in the text make it through the system. > > Wormwood had been used medicinally since the Middle Ages, to exterminate > tapeworms in the abdomen while leaving the human host uninjured and even > rejuvenated by the experience. At the end of the 18th century -- the age of > revolution and skeptical humanism -- the herb developed a recreational > vogue. People discovered they could get high off it. The problem was the > means of delivery, as it was unacceptably bitter in taste. > > An undocumented distiller -- perhaps in a pastoral convent or monastery -- > found the answer by inventing absinthe, which delivered both the herb and > alcohol in a stunningly tart beverage, with a flavor resembling licorice. > The most well-known maker of absinthe was distiller Henri-Louis Pernod. > Absinthe would eventually enjoy its greatest popularity in fin-de-siècle > Paris, with Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Verlaine and Oscar Wilde among its most > ardent imbibers. Given the French character of the Crescent City, it > achieved quite a bit of popularity in New Orleans as well, where it was > widely consumed by people from artists to musicians to Storyville madams. > Visitors to New Orleans can still check out the absinthe spigot at the Old > Absinthe House bar on Bourbon Street; the marble surface under the absinthe > tap is pitted and scarred, apparently from the effects of the dripping > liquid! >> > After its banning, imitations, using anise and other legal herbs in place of > wormwood, appeared. The most well-known is Pernod, which is very much like > absinthe but without the wormwood. But the similarity is only in color and > taste; Pernod is without the mind-numbing characteristics of absinthe. The > practice of adding aromatic bitters to cocktails also derives from a > nostalgia for contraband wormwood. In New Orleans, the preferred absinthe > substitute is Herbsaint, a locally-made anise liquor which is used in > cocktails as well as in cooking. > > It has been asserted that the trouble the governments thought to see in > absinthe wasn't due to the thujone at all, but simply to the alcohol. I > dispute that assertion, incidentally. If it was just the alcohol, why have > they still been making 120 proof Polish vodka all these years? And it has > now been revealed that consuming pure essential oil of wormwood, containing > high amounts of thujone, can cause renal failure. The New England Journal of > Medicine, in reporting a case of renal failure in a man who drank wormwood > oil, notes that French research in the 1860s in which small doses of > wormwood oil were administered to dogs and rabbits led to "convulsions, > involuntary evacuations, abnormal respiration and foaming at the mouth." > Gee, sounds pleasant, don't it? Patients hospitalized in Paris for absinthe > intoxication were noted to suffer "epileptiform activity (seizures), chest > effusion, reddish urine and kidney congestion", and while patients did > experience alterations in consciousness, auditory and visual hallucinations, > they also suffered terrible seizures and kidney problems. This seems more > reason for its being banned. > > This Information was taken from this site. > > Absinthe is a distilled spirit containing many herbs, not entirely unlike > spirits like Chartreuse. Wormwood has traditionally been one of the many > herbs used in the maceration and distillation of absinthe. Essential oil of > wormwood is NOT absinthe, and is poisonous. In fact, many concentrated > essential oils are poisonous; you'll do almost as much damage drinking > essential oil of coriander, for instance. Essential oils are not meant to be > consumed internally. > > The original article on the site, rewritten by me and based on an original > article by Vicki Richman, talks about how absinthe was banned supposedly > because of the deleterious and toxic effects of the ingredient thujone, the > aromatic hydrocarbon found in oil of wormwood and which exists in small > amounts in the liqueur. It seems that absinthe got a bad rap, mostly due to > the fact that the poisons that existed in some versions of it were due to > unscrupulous manufacturers who used toxic chemicals for color, and to the > fact that if you drink 20-25 glasses a day of any spirit containing 70% > alcohol, you're going to go nuts anyway. Still, people seemed to seize on > this whole wormwood thing, even though it's been determined that most of the > so-called "effects" of the spirit were due to the balance of the many herbs > contained within, plus the staggering amount of alcohol. Dopey people have > no idea that pure essential oil of wormwood has nothing to do with the > spirit known now and in history as "absinthe". They think you can get high > off of pure wormwood, as if the terms "horribly bitter and unpalatable" and > "neurotoxin" weren't enough of a warning. You wouldn't think someone would > go and buy the pure form of the ingredient and drink it, trying to get high > ... would you? > > A brief breakdown of the basic herbs found in Absinthe: > > Wormwood, Common (Artemisia Absinthium) > Wormwood, Roman (Artemisia Pontica) > Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis) > Anise (Pimpinella anisum) > Anise, Star (Illicuim verum) > Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) > Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) > Angelica (Angelica Archangelica) > Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) > > Other Texts: > > Nicolas Culpeper: The English physician: or an astrologo-physical discourse > of the vulgar herbs of this nation. 1652 > Separating Myth From Reality: Thujone > > > > www.gumbopages.com > > > > That wormwood is toxic, it is well documented, but the degree as to how > toxic it really is has been hotly debated. That it, also, has been used > beneficially as a medicine is also documented. How much to use and under > what circumstances is beyond the scope of my ability to advise well. So, > please consult other sources. But as a general synopsis, I offer the > following: > > Although the manufacture of absinthe has been banned in many places of the > world because of the toxicity historically attributed to its ingredient > wormwood, the herb wormwood itself has not been banned. Wormwood, prior to > the hysteria that started over absinthe in the 19th century, generally was > not regarded as so dangerous and toxic, and the herb is still used in modern > herbal concoctions. Used correctly and in moderation, herbal teas made from > wormwood are often mentioned in herbal medicinal guides, mainly as a stomach > tonic and sometimes as a concoction to be applied externally to bruises and > sprains. > > The toxicity of wormwood is attributed to a compound it contains called > Thujone. Thujone can be toxic to the brain and liver. The leaves of the > wormwood plant also contain a substance called santonin, which is said to > cause vertigo and delusion in overdoses. Thus, this is possibly why the > excessive and chronic use of absinthe was sometimes reported to cause a wide > variety of symptoms and maladies, including convulsions, hallucinations, > tremors, and sometimes paralysis, although I'd hazard to say that the high > alcohol proof in a typical glass of absinthe and the fact that chronic > drinkers of absinthe tended to imbibe several glasses of absinthe daily > probably had a little something to do with such maladies as well. The > reasons behind the demonization of absinthe were in a large part political > in nature, so it's best to question all data gathered and reported during > the heyday of the hysteria. This doesn't negate some of the findings > necessarily, but neither should they be taken as objective. > > Thujone depresses the central medullary part of the brain -- the part > involving pain and anxiety. Therefore, some herbalists have recommended > wormwood tea to reduce anxiety. However, wormwood is also a cardiac > stimulant, so using it for such a purpose may not work in all situations. > > In The Herb Book by John Lust, he lists the properties and uses of wormwood > to be: > > ". . . . a stomach medicine, being useful for gastric pain, and a lack of > appetite, as well as related problems of heartburn and flatulence. It is > also said to be helpful for liver insufficiency by stimulating liver and > gallbladder secretions. Wormwood oil is a cardiac stimulant and therefore > acts, when taken in proper doses, to improve blood circulation. Wormwood tea > has been recommended to help relieve pain during labor. The powdered > flowering tops have been used to expel intestinal worms. A fomentation of > wormwood tea can be applied externally to irritations, sprains, or bruises. > The oil acts as a local anesthetic when applied to relieve pains of > rheumatism, neuralgia, and arthritis. CAUTION: Pure wormwood oil is a strong > poison, and excessive use of the plant can also cause poisoning. With proper > dosage, there is little or no danger." > > His book gives information on preparation and dosages of this herb for > medicinal uses. > > sassafras - contains potent liver-damaging compounds > > wormwood - neurotoxin > > mandrake - just plain too poisonous! It's useful for experienced herbalists > who have the lab skills to assay the strength > > blood root - if it's Sanguinaria canadensis., it's poisonous in large doses > and must never be used during pregnancy. > > Plenty more on Google > > R > >
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