Wormwood: Arthemisia Absinthum.

Wormwood is a bitter tasting herb which grows mainly on poor, rocky ground. Its psycho-active and medicinal properties were written about long before the time of Christ. Wormwood is used to relieve rheumatism and gout and also to combat tapeworm, which is where it gets it's name. Absinthe was probably first made by the French doctor Pierre Ordinaire around 1792. Originally meant to be used as a medicine, Absinthe was soon being produced by Pernod as an ingredient of the most popular alcoholic drink of the nineteenth century. Oscar Wilde wrote about the effect of combining alcohol with the psycho-active effect of Wormwood: "After the first glass you see things as you wish they were. After the second you see things as they are not. Finally you see things as they really are and that is the most horrible thing in the world." When used in large amounts, Absinthe has a hallucinatory effect. There were many addicts in nineteenth-century France. The Dutch painter van Gogh was also hooked on this drink, which eventually led to his suicide. The making of Absinthe was forbidden in France in 1915. The ever popular drink Pernod is still made, all be it without the addition of Wormwood.

• Active elements: Thujone, Absinthine, Anabsinthine.
• Effect: Narcotic, pacifying, numbing and tranquilising. In combination with alcohol it can cause hallucinations.
• Use: Wormwood can be smoked or used to make tea. The psycho-active substances can be extracted by leaving the plant to draw in alcohol voor two weeks. If you do this with Pernod, you will get Absinthe.
• Warning: Excessive and prolonged use of Absinthe kan cause addiction and also mental and physical deterioration. Taking Thujone-oil can cause cramp, nervosity and restlessness.

• prices:
• 25 gr. € 2,30
• 50 gr. € 3,40
• 100 gr. € 5,70