I have recently read that ‘thujone’, the chemical constituent of the wormwood plant, and an integral component of the drink absinthe, reacts with the same receptors which THC molecules bind to.
Have any of you here at ILP ever experienced the effects of Absinthe?
If so, what are your thoughts on it.
Waste of time?
Trippy?
Maddening?
Good stuff?
I’ve also heard the rumor that the reputation of absinthe was blemished by upset wine makers who were losing a large amount of revenue because of the popularity of the drink.
I’m sure there is lots of info about absinthe on the net so I will share some anecdotal evidence from my own experience.
I’ve had absinthe on two occassions. Both times were after a heavy stint of drinking including a mixture of beers and spirits so they weren’t what you could call ‘control’ experiments. The first time I drank it at room temperature and after a few hours started hallucinating. While laying in bed the ceiling was moving and I could see little figures popping up here and there. These were things that I don’t normally experience just from alcohol.
Second time I drank it chilled with little crystals of the stuff floating in the glass. Presumably this is to make it more pallatable because it’s fiery stuff. Didn’t experience the hallucinations this time but it certainly brought on a different kind of drunken state.
well the last time i experienced absinthe i decided it was a good idea to fill a half empty beer can with the stuff and it was a-fucking-mazing. however i was at reading festival so my reliability is to be questioned
Do you mean a festival of reading books, and so your head was filled with such screwed-up weirdness that you may have invented you memories after the fact, or do you mean you were at a festival in Reading, with lots of carousing and screwed-up weirdness oustide of your head?
I think it may be legal in the Czech Republic. I have not ever tried to obtain it in the United States, but I’m sure it must be possible. However, until such time as [insert name of entity here] ceases to act as everyone’s mommy, you will have to conduct your search via channels with which I cannot possibly help you.
i mean i was at reading rock festival, surrounded by weirdos, with weirdos in my head, and a spliff buddy who i never met face to face… i beliieve i spent a day searching for a cadburys creme egg which obviously no one would have in the middle off summer, and someone offering to lay me one… like i said unreliable evidence
I tried some for the first time on new years, and although I only drank the equivalent of maybe one shot, I definately felt some creeping sensation akin to a cannabis effect. Everything slowed a bit, and I felt more relaxed, which is not something I usually get from alcohol.
Just for the record. It is legal in the Czech Republic, and I believe it is illegal to import or purchase in the United States. The reason I had some was a friend went to Prague recently and brought some back in his suitcase, illegally.
for all your drug-related information needs, i would highly recommend the site erowid.com which contains personal experiences, chemisty, laws, potential problems, etc.
as for the legality of absinthe, wormwood, and specifically thujone, the chemical in wormwood, is not a controlled substance in the U.S. It is simply listed as a poisonous substance. Thus it is illegal to put in something meant as a food substance. I do not believe it is illegal to possess it or import it because of this, simply to manufacture it in this country. THe plant itself is definitely legal though, and you can make a pseudo-absinthe drink if you chop it up and put in in everclear or vodka along with some spices. Some claim that this is nothing like real absinthe, either in taste or effect, but I have had neither one, so i wouldn’t know.
i have looked for it on the net, and honestly, unless you plan on actually buying it in the Czech Republic, Andorra, or one of the other places and importing it yourself, it seems like an incredibly expensive buy.