Toxicité neuropsychiatrique de l'absinthe. Historique, données actuelles

Absinthe was forbidden mainly because of its neuropsychiatric toxicity which, according to Magnan, included a characteristic epilepsy, and he considered his experiments on animals as evidence. A review of the literature shows that a number of clinicians of his time did not share his convictions. Recent toxicological studies have elucidated the mechanism of the highly convulsive effect of thujone, the principal active ingredient of absinthe oil. They do not allow us to conclude, any more than in Magnan's time, that the beverage itself was epileptogenic. Furthermore, other studies have discovered that anethole, another standard constituent of the beverage, has an anti-convulsive property. The toxicity of old-time absinthes, as that of today's “absinthes”, seems essentially due to their alcohol content.