OFF: Absinth (was: Fu Manchu)

[Tox]

On Thu, 26 Sep 1996, Christian Mumford wrote:

> I had Absinth for the first time awhile back, a friend of mine had
> bought a bottle of it in the Czech Rep, I believe. It was green and
> tasted similar to Arrack. I got more high than drunk on it, well a weird
> kind of drunk anyway. After we'd finished off what he had we were
> craving more of the stuff - but we couldn't bring ourselves to drink the
> homebrew I had with me.... I understand Absinth attacks your nervous
> system somehow (as opposed to...?). Perhaps the toxicologist on this
> list could enlighten us? I understand it's outlawed everywhere except
> Portugal and Czech Rep, at least in Europe.
>
I believe that the active ingredient (aside from ethanol) is thujone,
which is imparted by the wormwood. Pernod, which is basically absinthe
without wormwood, contains no thujone.

Not a toxicologist, just Tox