Absinthe is a potent liqueur flavored with an extract of the wormwood plant that was popular in Paris in the 19th century. It is no longer legal to produce or consume absinthe (but in France, who could tell?).
Plant: Artemisia absinthum (common names include wormwood, absinthium, wermut, others). This is a perennial shrub that grows in Europe and the areas of the United States. The plant extract is termed oil of wormwood.
NOTE: Absinthe is not made by seeping alcohol in wood in which worms have lived ("worm wood"), as is sometimes stated.
Toxin: thujone (a terpene)
Clinical effects (absinthism):
(1) hallucinations
(2) delirium and psychosis
(3) digestive disorders
(4) thirst
(5) restlessness and tremor
(6) vertigo
(7) numbness in the extremities
(8) reduced intellect
(9) paralysis
(10) convulsions
(11) coma and death
The oil of wormwood is used to flavor vermouth and other flavored wines, but the amount is very small.
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