Spoiler Described as 'the most maligned and misunderstood drink in history,' there is a non-profit society dedicated to educating the the public with accurate information about absinthe. Created in 1792 by Pierre Oedinaire, a French doctor, as a remedy for his patients. its popularity soon spread over Europe. Jerry
Spoiler Wormwood's bitter substances, called absinthin, has been used to brew beer and distill alcohol. Absinthe, an old French liqueur prepared from wormwood, is now illegal because absinthol, a volatile oil the herb contains, has been found to cause nerve depression, mental impairment, and loss of reproductive function when used for a long time. Wormwood also lends its flavor and its name to vermouth. The German word for wormwood is "wermuth," which is the source of the modern word vermouth.
Spoiler Artemisia species, or wormwoods, are a herb family that grows in the Alps. The blossoms and stems have been put in eau de vie (water of life, or distilled wine alcohol) for centuries for a Digestif called Genepy in France, and Genepi in Italian, and Vermouth. I suspect it is one of the 100 or so ingredients in Chartreuse. Artemisia absinthium or grand wormwood, is used to make Absinthe. I am kicking myself for not trying to plant some Genepy given to us by the family of our French exchange student, but instead we made a pretty good bottle of Genepy, had a good time with that while it lasted.
