Absinthe: what's your poison?

BMJ 1999;319:1590-1592 ( 18 December )

Editorials

Absinthe: what's your poison?

Though absinthe is intriguing, it is alcohol in general we should worry about

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Absinthe, the emerald green liqueur associated with excess, is back in business. Having been banned in many countries in theearly 20th century, its newly fashionable image, combined withglobal purchasing opportunities through the internet, has broughtits revival. Since 1998 several varieties of absinthe have againbeen available in Britain $---$ from bars, stores, and mail order. Butis absinthe a special problem or simply part of a general concernabout excessive alcoholconsumption?

Originally formulated in Switzerland, absinthe became most popular in 19th century France. Between 1875 and 1913 French consumptionof the liquor increased 15-fold.¹ It became an icon of "lavie de bohème," and in fin-de-siècle Paris l'heure verte (thegreen [cocktail] hour) was a daily event. Although never as popularin Britain, the fashion of mixed drinks with a "spot" or "kick"of absinthe was reported in London as late as 1930.²

Many creative artists had their lives touched . . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Lachenmeier, D. W, Nathan-Maister, D. (2008). Absinthe and tobacco--a new look at an old problem? (comment on: Absinthe--is its history relevant for current public health?). Int J Epidemiol 37: 217-218 [Full text]
Huisman, M., Brug, J., Mackenbach, J. (2007). Absinthe is its history relevant for current public health?. Int J Epidemiol 36: 738-744 [Abstract] [Full text]
Hold, K. M., Sirisoma, N. S., Ikeda, T., Narahashi, T., Casida, J. E. (2000). alpha -Thujone (the active component of absinthe): gamma -Aminobutyric acid type A receptor modulation and metabolic detoxification. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 3826-3831 [Abstract] [Full text]

Rapid Responses:

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absinthe: Charles Hugh-Jones
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absinthe quote: Wilfred Niels Arnold
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Thujone concentration in pre-ban absinthe: Dirk W. Lachenmeier
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