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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on July 18, 2003, at 9:33:10
Absinthe is something I enjoy from time to time (home brewed), and I may as well just start off by saying that I don't believe in the whole "absinthism" scare of the early 20th century. I believe the symptoms of that disease were caused by excessive consumption of high proof (150 proof) alcohol first and foremost, and the active herbal ingredients may have played a secondary part of in it, though only due to the very high quantities ingested by absintheurs in the late 19th/early 20th centuries. Now, to get on with my post...
The absinthe I brew at home is made using 80-proof vodka, hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), calamus (Acorus calamus), anise seed (Pimpinella anisum), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), star anise (Illicuim verum), licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), and of course, wormwood (Artemisia absinthium).
I am well aware that thujone, the purported psychoactive constituent in wormwood, is believed to be largely responsible for absinthe's intoxicating effects (disregarding the ethanol, of course). However, several of the other herbs contain chemicals which may be psychoactive--the asarones in calamus, anethole in anise seed and fennel, and though I can't find the specific chemicals involved, both lemon balm and hyssop have long been used as calmatives and nervines.
So my question is this--does anyone here have any clue as to how absinthe's active ingredients exert their effects (in a strictly neurotransmission manner of speaking) on the brain? I know thujone is said to be related to delta-9-THC, but I also know that a chemical similarity means practically nothing as far as its true action is concerned.
Thanks for any input!
Posted by Shawn. T. on July 18, 2003, at 23:04:09
In reply to Absinthe--active constituents, brain activity?, posted by Ame Sans Vie on July 18, 2003, at 9:33:10
I'm not sure about asarones and anethole; I believe that hyssop may have some psychoactive activity. The primary active ingredients in absinthe are alpha-thujone, beta-thujone, and ethanol. Alpha-thujone is active at the noncompetitive blocker sites of GABA-A receptors, which modulate chloride channels. Beta-thujone is approximately 2.3-fold less potent at GABA-A receptors than alpha-thujone. I'm sure that ethanol's effects at GABA-A receptors counteract the effects of alpha-thujone and beta-thujone to some degree; I seriously doubt that consuming purified alpha-thujone would have positive effects. So absinthe basically blocks inhibitory neurotransmission (mediated by GABA-A receptors) in the brain; there may be some similarities between alcohol withdrawal- induced hallucinations and absinthe- induced perceptual changes.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/97/8/3826
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/97/9/4417
Shawn
Posted by River1924 on July 21, 2003, at 16:33:33
In reply to Absinthe--active constituents, brain activity?, posted by Ame Sans Vie on July 18, 2003, at 9:33:10
Wow, you are an experimentalist. Are there books out there ---"Brewing Absinthe for Dummies"?
I not a chemist, just know lemon balm is a good calming herb for me and wormwood is vomit-inducing. My guess is that there is something pretty potent in wormwood. I'm not touchy but gawd that stuff is viscious.
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on July 21, 2003, at 19:29:56
In reply to Re: Absinthe--active constituents, brain activity? » Ame Sans Vie, posted by River1924 on July 21, 2003, at 16:33:33
lol, yes, I'm definitely an experimentalist. Don't believe there are any "Brewing Absinthe for Dummies" books out there, lol, but I came upon my personal recipe through following traditional recipes for early 20th century commerical absinthe, modern recipes, and just did some tweaking to find the proper ingredients, amounts, and steeping time.
You're right, melissa (lemon balm) can be a very calming herb, though I've personally never experienced an emetic effect from wormwood. It's assumed active phytochemical, thujone, is very toxic and can cause convulsions in high doses, but in the doses typically ingested via absinthe, it just creates a very pleasurable state of artistic relaxation.
This is the end of the thread.
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