Does Absinthe Really Cause Hallucinations?

When absinthe — also known as the Green Fairy — was banned in France,
Switzerland, the United States and many other countries in the early 1900s,
it had become associated with illicit behavior. In fact, it was accused of
turning children into criminals, encouraging loose morals and inspiring
murders. That regular old alcohol received similar treatment during
the Prohibition period in the United States turns out to be pretty apropos:
We now know that properly manufactured absinthe — an anise-flavored,
alcoholic drink — is no more dangerous than any other properly prepared
liquor.

What about the tales of hallucinations, Oscar Wilde and his tulips, family
massacres and instant death? Not absinthe's fault, technically speaking.
Absinthe does have a very high alcohol content — anywhere between 55
and 75 percent alcohol by volume, which equates to about 110 to 144
proof. It makes whiskey's standard 40 percent (80 proof) seem like child's
play, which is why absinthe is supposed to be diluted. Absinthe is not a
hallucinogen; rather its alcohol content and herbal flavor set it apart from
other liquors.

Traditional absinthe is made of anise, fennel and wormwood (a plant), and

various recipes add other herbs and flowers to the mix. The anise, fennel
and wormwood are soaked in alcohol, and the mixture is then distilled. The
distillation process causes the herbal oils and the alcohol to evaporate,
separating from the water and bitter essences released by the herbs.

The chemical that's taken all the blame for absinthe's hallucinogenic
reputation is called thujone, which is a component of wormwood. In very
high doses, thujone can be toxic. Modern science has estimated that a
person drinking absinthe would die from alcohol poisoning long before he
or she were affected by the thujone. And there is no evidence at all that
thujone can cause hallucinations, even in high doses.
For the record, that man who killed his family in Switzerland in 1905,
spurring a whole slew of absinthe bans and even a constitutional
amendment, was under the influence of absinthe — which he'd been
drinking since he woke up that morning and throughout the rest of the day
(and the day before that and the day before that). And Oscar Wilde? Well,
no doubt the poet did see tulips on his legs as he walked out into the
morning light after a night of drinking absinthe at a local bar — chalk it up
to creative license.

Absinthe is now perfectly legal in every country in which alcohol is legal. In

2007, the United States lifted its 100-year-long ban. So once again
European distillers are importing the Green Fairy stateside, and once again
mixologists and absinthe enthusiasts are debating whether the newest
version is truly authentic.