Is thujone the active ingredient in absinthe?
No. The active ingredient in absinthe is alcohol. Recent studies have demonstrated by GC/MS analysis that previous untested conjectures as to the levels in pre-ban absinthe were wildly inaccurate, and that properly made pre-ban era absinthe had negligible levels of thujone, just as properly made absinthes do today. The reason for this is that thujone does not easily distill and all but trace amounts remain behind. Inferior absinthes didn’t contain high levels of thujone either, but some did contain copper sulfate and antimony chloride, two very poisonous chemicals with no recreational potential.
