Science Articles

Systematic Misinformation about Thujone in Pre-ban Absinthe Summary The media coverage about absinthe, a bitter spirit containing wormwood (Artemisia absinthum L.), continues to repeat unsubstantiated myths and legends and the public is systematically misinformed. Especially, the theory about a significant thujone content in absinthe must be put into perspective … Summary The media coverage about […]

Tourist in a taste lab – taste research A fascinating account of the genetic science behind why some people abhor sugar in their absinthe, and why others can’t drink it without. THE BRAIN IS THE MASTERMIND OF FLAVOR BUT TONGUES ARE WHERE IT STARTS-AND SOME ARE FAR MORE SENSITIVE THAN OTHERS. A GROUP OF US, […]

The Illness of Vincent van Gogh Published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, April 2002 Abstract Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) had an eccentric personality and unstable moods, suffered from recurrent psychotic episodes during the last 2 years of his extraordinary life, and committed suicide at the age of 37. Despite limited evidence, well over 150 […]

Behaviour of thujone during distillation and possible concentration ranges in pre-ban absinthe.

A comprehensive look at the science behind thujone and its role in the absinthe phenomenon.

Published in Scientific American. Evidence of the pale-green liqueur’€™s toxicity eventually extinguished the fin-de-siècle infatuation with absinthe. The drink’€™s history began, however, long before the 19th century. Vincent van Gogh shot himself on the afternoon of July 27, 1890, in Auvers-sur-Oise, France; he died in the early morning two days later. Paul F. Gachet, the […]

Scientific American. New Series, Volume 20, Issue 14, Apr 3, 1869 It appears that until 1864 the belief that there was nothing injurious in absinthe except the alcohol, was general enough. In that year, however, a mad doctor named Marce, communicated a paper to the Academy of Sciences, in which he demonstrated that the essence […]