I have been told that when Van Gogh cut off his ear he was using a hallucinogenic substance called Absinthe. Could anyone confirm this for me, and tell me a little more about this stuff please?

Stew54

I didn't know the van Gogh story, but absinthe is something even shady doesn't put in his cocktails any more. http://absinthe-green.com/about_absinthe.html Dec 29 03, 11:11 AM

IndieQueen

Absinthe, in great quantities, can be a hallucinogenic. It contains wormwood which turns into thujone when it is metabolized. It's illegal in the States. Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway and many other writers and artists used Absinthe quite frequently. They also all died relatively young. It's not stuff to mess with. Dec 29 03, 12:44 PM

markklein199

I don't think absinthe is as bad as people say it is. I got drunk off of it one night in the Czech Republic a few years ago. I did not see any green fairies or other hallucinations, it had the same effect as any other hard liquor. It's nasty tasting stuff though. First timers are warned not to drink it straight. You have to take a spoonful of sugar, douse it with a little bit of absinthe, light the sugar on fire, blow it out and then dump the sugary syrup residue into your glass before you can drink it. While I am sure absinthe has caused problems among its drinkers, I think any alcohol that you drink long enough in large enough doses can do some mental damage. And as for Van Gogh, there are several different theories as to why he hacked off his ear, the most likely one is that he was suffering a psychotic episode related to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or some other mental illness. There is no solid evidence that his consumption of absinthe played a role. Dec 29 03, 1:21 PM

lothruin

Indeed, I'm quite sure Hemingway et al used a number of difficult types of alcohol and drugs to excess, which is more likely the cause of their early deaths than frequent use of absinthe. Which is not, of course, to negate the possible health issues associated with absinthe, or the likely contribution it made to the deaths of the above artists. However, those artists partook of a large number of unhealthy habits. And for the record, Absinthe is known as "The Green Fairy" not because of hallucinations, but because of the color of the liqueur. Dec 29 03, 1:40 PM

IndieQueen

If I'm not mistaken, the amount of wormwood used in the making of Absinthe is now regulated. It wasn't regulated when Hemingway, Wilde, Van Gogh et al... were using it. Hence, the effects of absinthe now are not the same as they were back then. Please correct me if I'm wrong on that, but I recall reading that some time ago. Dec 29 03, 2:09 PM

markklein199

You're right about the origins of the nickname, Lothruin, but I was actually making a reference to the scene in the movie "Moulin Rouge" where everyone drinks absinthe and they see a green fairy played by Kylie Minogue. Quite frankly, I wish I had experienced a similar hallucination during my absinthe binge in Prague. Dec 29 03, 2:41 PM

lothruin

Indie, not only that, but irreputable manufacturers in the 19th century would use toxic chemicals, including some toxic metals, to give inferior or non-genuine batches of absinthe it's distinct color and clouding effects. These additives in and of themselves might be one of the greater causes of pronounced effects so long after the introduction of the liqueur to the market. It also has(had) a very high alcohol content, between 120 and 150 proof, and was a key target of many temperance leagues, which again played a part in it's downfall. Dec 30 03, 1:04 AM

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