Absinthe revealed!

[TheQuail at CTHULHU.MICROSERVE.COM]

Hi -

I have been loosely following the absinthe thread, and though I am not a
toxicologist, I am a chemist. So, here we go. . . .

Thujone (the dextrorotatory b- isomer of 3 thujamone) is indeed the
active ingredient in absinthe. It is classified as a "convulsant poison,"
grouped with two C(10)H(16)O isomers, camphor and menthol, the latter of
which shares similar physical characteristics. . Chemical comparison
shows that it is similar in structure to THC, the actice ingredient in
marijuana. Both thojone and THC are terpenoids, with similar molecular
geometry and similar functional groups - this is important in terms of
human metabolism. According to Del Castillo (nature Magazine, January 31,
1975): "both thujone and THC exert their psychotomimetic effects by
interacting with a common receptor in the central nervous system."

By the way, it is indeed the ethanol in absinthe that makes it the most
"toxic," for the levels of thujone are quite below toxic levels, but boy
does it have a lot of hooch. . . .

Have fun . . .

By the way, an excellent resource on absinthe is Barnaby Conrad III's
"Absinthe: History in a Bottle." ISBN: 0-87701-486-8

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