Knowing the Negative Effects from Drinking Absinthe

Video Transcript

"Hi. My name is Allen for Expert Village. And today I'm going to discuss a controversial and banned alcohol commonly known as absinthe. So when you think absinthe, the number one ingredient that everyone thinks of, or the number one effect really that everyone thinks of, is the hallucination that everybody really puts together with absinthe or everybody hears about. Well that ingredient is wormwood and that's really the reason why it has been banned here in the Unites States as well as other countries, but a lot of the other countries are bringing it back. Because they're finding less effects and things like that or taking different processes to brew it without the toxins or neural toxins that come from wormwood that really give these hallucinogenic effects or side effects to the drink. Now if you go on the FDA's website, who originally banned the absinthe product containing wormwood, you'll see the possible health hazards. It says neurological symptoms characterized by numbness of legs and arms, loss of intellect, delirium and paralysis. Now this is probably if you consume tons and tons of this drink. And consumed on a very minute or very minimal level and a controlled level, it's really not going to have too much of an effect on you. Sometimes, yes, you'll definitely feel a little bit of a delirium effect which I have encountered a few times drinking this, but you know really just be safe about it. Now when you really look into wormwood, why it does this, well it contains I believe it's called thujone, I'm not really sure if that's the correct pronunciation, but it's a chemical very close to what's in marijuana known as THC. And since that the FDA has placed the wormwood herb in the unsafe category. It's been reported that this chemical in the wormwood may cause the nerve damage and other side effects. So if you really want to drink it or use wormwood products which are readily easy to find, maybe consult with a medical physician first. But really if you do it on a basis or if you consume it on a smart level, you're not really going to run into any potential problems."