The Green Fairy Returns (absinthe)

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung ^ | 9/07/01 | Julia Nolte

[LarryLied]

Many painters were inspired by the
"Green Fairy:" The three paintings here,
by Edgar Degas (top) and Pablo Picasso (center and bottom)
are all called "The Absinth Drinker."
(Photo: AKG, file)

[StoneColdGOP]

Now to get this stuff legal and OK in American bars! (ha ha...)

[LarryLied]

Not much chance of that.

Thomas Prisinzano, Graduate Student Department of Medicinal Chemistry Medical College of Virginia Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University writes:

Absinthe drinkers were reported to have experienced a double action intoxication . This intoxication combined the separate effects of alcohol and thujone. The alcohol produced a sedative effect in absinthe drinkers while the thujone is reported to have caused hallucinations (both visual and auditory) as well as excitation.

The only proven effect of thujone, however, is its toxicity to the brain. The toxicity of thujone in the brain is believed to result from its structural similarity to tetrahydrocannibinol, or THC , the active compound in marijuana.

Cannabis has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes and has great therapeutic potential.

Thujone and THC have similar shapes, and it is believed that they interact with the same biological receptor to produce their similar psychological effects. The similarities between the molecules include gem dimethyl groups and a similar carbon framework. It is also believed that the hydroxyl group of THC and the carbonyl of thujone may interact at the same site. Modeling studies show a good degree of overlap.

More

[StoneColdGOP]

Golly. Sounds like fun. We can't have Americans having fun and enjoying themselves, now can we?

[LarryLied]

Oops...forget the above:

For a while it was hypothesized that thujone and tetrahydrocannabinol had the same site of action. This was believed to be true because of the similarities in their structures and effects. But in 1997, it was shown that neither thujone nor wormwood binds to the canabinoid receptor.

http://chemweb.calpoly.edu/chem/bailey/377/PapersSp2000/Ann/absinthe.html

[poetknowit]

How Dubya won on the 'Ab-sinth-ee' ballot:
The RNC gave out samples of The Green Fairy in Florida and they punched the wrong chads. Hic!

[LarryLied]

More than a few people in my county were probably around when absinthe was legal. Likely they have horded bottles they keep next to their Trotsky, Stalin and/or Lenin shrines. Palm Beach County is in another world.An alien planet on which the indigenous media tells the residents everyday that the Klu Klux Klan and the Tsar's cossacks are about to wipe them out if they don't vote Democrat.

[dighton]

Degas: The Absinthe Drinker

She looks none too cheerful.

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

And here I always thought that Pernod was Absinthe without the wormwood, kinda similar to Green Chartreuse.

Regards,
GtG

PS Remember: Absinthe makes the mind go wander!

[StoneColdGOP]

Land sakes, maybe we should employ that tactic in California! We get accused of everything else already anyways.

[Orual]

Let her eat wormwood.

[StoneColdGOP]

Heh heh, sounds like a bad bottle of Smirnoff!

[Bella_Bru]

Here is an excellent site on Absinthe. La Fee Verte

BTW, Betina's Elixirs is an American company, so if you want to order any, it clears cutoms easily.

[HiTech RedNeck]

And that's while the glass is still full.

[aruanan]

It's about time.

[MHT]

I thought chartreuse was made from green apples.

[gjenkins]

Bella_bru's web site mentions that hill's tastes exactly like you mentioned.