Numerous factors likely contributed to the Green Fairy’s banning across large parts of Europe and the U.S., including Magnan’s experiments. This misconception is the only one tied to facts, as absinthe was illegal in many countries for most of the 20th century. In other words, absinthe’s most harmful characteristic has always been its alcohol content, which typically ranges from 45 to 70 percent ABV.

What’s more, the paper points out that there is no evidence absinthe is epileptogenic, nor that absinthism can be distinguished as a distinct syndrome from alcoholism. Then in 2006, authors of the medical paper “Absinthism: a fictitious 19th century syndrome with present impact,” noted that “he only consistent conclusion that can be drawn from those 19th century studies about absinthism is that wormwood oil but not absinthe is a potent agent to cause seizures.” When Magnan gave a dog a vial of wormwood oil, he watched it bark at a brick wall for half an hour.įor years, Magnan’s findings went mostly unchallenged.

He noted that when mice consumed high concentrations of thujone, they had convulsions and died. Valentin Magnan, a French psychiatrist who strongly opposed absinthe and what he believed to be its ill effects on society.ĭuring the late 19th century, Magnan carried out tests on animals using thujone and wormwood oil. The links between absinthe and mental health issues are based on the experiments of Dr. Once again, the science used to explain this phenomenon, called “ absinthism,” is shaky at best and doesn’t hold up to modern scrutiny. Other than the myth that it makes drinkers see things, absinthe has gained notoriety for its supposed ability to drive people crazy. The authors of the study note that the “thujone ranges of all absinthes are quite similar,” thus disproving any idea that absinthe historically contained higher levels of psychoactive chemicals and was therefore hallucinogenic. published a study comparing thujone levels from pre1915 absinthe with 20th-century and modern-day examples. In 2008, international researchers from Germany, England, and the U.S.

But the quantity of thujone present in modern absinthe is so little ( a maximum of 10 parts per million in the U.S.), you’d sooner die of alcohol poisoning than be able to drink enough to start hallucinating.īut what about the past? Isn’t it possible that the absinthes being drunk during the Belle Epoque era had higher thujone levels? Scientists say no. This wormwood imparts the psychoactive chemical thujone into the spirit. Absinthe Makes You HallucinateĪbsinthe is a botanical distillate that contains, among other ingredients, a mixture of anise, fennel, and a type of wormwood called Artemisia absinthium. To set the record straight, here are five of the biggest myths surrounding absinthe, busted. The truths can sometimes feel as cloudy as the liquor itself (when prepared properly), but there’s little need to worry about absinthe. In reality, painting the so-called “Green Fairy” as some kind of conscious-expanding elixir is the work of pure fiction, the effects of which have rippled for more than 100 years. Absinthe’s purported power to conjure fairies and send drinkers insane endures thanks to misrepresentations in art, literature, music, and movies - and loaded, pseudo-scientific experiments.

Wormwood absinthe