Wormwood | Artemisia absinthium | 50 grams

History

Wormwood is used to flavor teas, beers, and other beverages. It is mostly known as the main ingrediënt of the drink of the Green Fairy: Absinth! The consumption of wormwood goes way back: it was already consumed by the ancient Egyptians and later the ancient Greeks. The Greeks made a wormwood-flavoured wine called “absinthites oinos”. The famous absinth drink as we know it today was invented in Swiss around 1792. The inventor was, according to popular legend, the French doctor Pierre Ordinaire. The drink was a medical elixir, that was also used by the French troops in war time to prevent them from getting malaria. Later on, the drink has become available in bars and stores, and was drunk by the bourgeois, poor working-class people, and many artists and writers. It became so popular to drink, that 5 o’clock in the cafe became known as “L’heure verte” (the green hour).

Effects

Wormwood contains the psychoactive compound thujon. Thujon is said to closely resemble THC, the active compound in cannabis. Thujon has soothing effects on both the body and the mind. It relaxes the nervous system and makes you feel at ease. In combination with the high alcohol percentage of absinthe, it can also induce hallucinations, spasms and seizures.

Use

Use 1 teaspoon per cup of tea. Use warm but not boiling water! The bitter flavour of the tea can be compensated by peppermint or anise.

To make absinth: use 50 grams of the herb and add this to ½ litre of liquor. Let it steep for a couple of weeks. Sift it before consumption. Be careful to only drink one small glass! The effects can be very strong and take a while before you notice them.

Content

Contains 50 gram of shredded Artemisia Absinthium.