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Lachenmeier DW, Nathan-Maister D.
“Systematic Misinformation about Thujone in Pre-ban Absinthe”.
Deutsche Lebensmittel-Rundschau. 2007;.
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Abstract
The media coverage about absinthe, a bitter spirit containing wormwood (Artemisia absinthum L.), continues to repeat unsubstantiated
myths and legends and the public is systematically misinformed. Especially, the theory about a significant thujone content in absinthe
must be put into perspective as there are a number of different wormwood chemotypes with a large variance in thujone content (0-
70.6% in essential oil) from which a mean thujone content of about 20 mg/l in distilled absinthe with a large standard deviation of up to
20 mg/l may be calculated. However, a higher thujone amount of 260 mg/l derived from out-of-date calculations is generally presented
as "historical content" in addition with reports about unsubstantiated psychoactive or aphrodisiac properties. Other studies used
unauthentic recipes with unrealistically high amounts of wormwood that would produce undrinkable bitter products. In general, a
previous overestimation of the thujone content of pre-ban absinthe was detected.
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| Comments and Responses to this Article | # earth
Oct 5, 2007
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Dismissive of anything other than French Major Commercial Absinthes
An interesting and important addition to the literature, but seems to dismiss absinthes that do not comport to the author's idea of what absinthe should be: expensive, French, not-very-bitter, and matching very specific recipes (not using A. absinthium in the final maceration). He dismisses Gimpel's findings by saying that Gimpel 'used unauthentic recipes with unrealistically high amounts of wormwood that would produce undrinkable bitter products.' Definitely on the Breaux side of the debate.
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