Absinthism: a fictitious 19th century syndrome with present impact

Abstract

Absinthe, a bitter spirit containing wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.), was banned at the beginning of the 20 th century as consequence of its supposed unique adverse effects. After nearly centurylong prohibition, absinthe has seen a resurgence after recent de-restriction in many European countries. This review provides information on the history of absinthe and one of its constituent, thujone. Medical and toxicological aspects experienced and discovered before the prohibition of absinthe are discussed in detail, along with their impact on the current situation. The only consistent conclusion that can be drawn from those 19 th century studies about absinthism is that wormwood oil but not absinthe is a potent agent to cause seizures. Neither can it be concluded that the beverage itself was epileptogenic nor that the so-called absinthism can exactly be distinguished as a distinct syndrome from chronic alcoholism.

Variability of the essential oil composition in the sage collection of the Genebank Gatersleben: a new viridiflorol chemotype

“…Oxygenated monoterpenes, varying in the range 34-69% (372-1630 mg/100 g dw), constituted the major compound group in all the studied EO samples, as in many other reports. [12,23] Altogether, no signifi cant variability was observed between the EO composition in 2007 and 2008. The study showed that the sage collection of the GeneBank Gatersleben contains one new viridifl orol chemotype from Romania with a low amount of thujones, and highly variable other chemotypes which could be of interest for pharmaceutical uses.…”

Artemisia absinthium L.—Importance in the History of Medicine, the Latest Advances in Phytochemistry and Therapeutical, Cosmetological and Culinary Uses

“…A. absinthium is the main ingredient in absinthe, which is a high-proof alcoholic beverage that was particularly popular in the 19th and 20th centuries because of its psychoactive properties due to the high αand β-thujone content [15,111]. Information on the safety and mechanism of action of both compounds is presented later in this review.…”

Bioactive Compounds, Pharmacological Actions, and Pharmacokinetics of Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)

“…Artemisia is one of the most predominant and widely distributed genus in Asteraceae family that is composed of more than 500 different species classified as annual, perennial, and biennial natural plants or small shrubs (Table 1) [2]. [5,6].…”