HERB - Absinthe

[Jenne Heise]

On Thu, 2 Jul 1998 LrdRas at aol.com wrote:
> This is somewhat inaccurate.....A friend brought a bottle back from France in
> is luggage last year and shared a taste or two. First, the reports of brain
> decay and madness from casual use is largely a bunch of "poof" which is
> clearly to be equated with the 1950's observation that marijuana smoking
> caused a person to be a murderer and with the Victorian concept that
> masturbation caused all kinds of bizaare physical problems.

*sigh* Unfortunately, from what I have read, the 'scare tactics' came
AFTER it was discovered that absinthe-drinking (habitual) DID have
deliterious effects. While continual alcohol use will in fact rot your
liver and in large quantities cause some brain damage, the effects of
habitual absinthe drinking were associated with mental problems, far more
than, say, vodka.

Though nowadays wormwood is still widely available as a bedding plant, it
is very definitely discouraged for internal use. I suspect that this is
because wormwood, like other vermifuges, has a mild poisonous effect. Many
of the classical vermifuges seem to have some sort of nervous system
effect both on worms in the intestinal tract and (cumulatively and/or in
large doses) on human beings who consume them. 

At one time, absinthe was recommended medicinally, and it became
fashionable for 'Bohemians' to tipple heavily. There was certainly a lot
of anti-absinthe propaganda out there-- whether more or less than the
anti-laudanum propaganda-- and like all early advertising, it was heavily
exagerated in order to serve a purpose. However, I would not discount it
entirely.

Jadwiga Zajaczkowa (Shire of Eisental; HERMS Cyclonus) 
         aka Aunt Bunny, mka Jennifer Heise	
jenne at tulgey.browser.net

LADY JANE STARKER: "All right, gentlemen. It seems you need a little
inspiration to get this project moving. How big a fire is required, and
how far up your rear ends do you want it?"

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