| This month's aphrodisiac is a funny one because it isn't something you would normally eat, but it is considered a culinary aphrodisiac. You may not even have heard of wormwood, but I'll bet you've heard of its primary culinary use. It is the famed ingredient in absinthe, said to make the spirit "dangerous." I chose to write about wormwood this month because, without warning, an article I wrote on absinthe, over 10 years ago, is suddenly one of the most popular on Eat Something Sexy. (This is a distinction it didn't hold when the article was freshly published and modern absinthe was a novelty.) Here's the article, entitled "What is Absinthe?" Maybe you know something I don't about spirits trends, but from where I'm sitting, (which is the house I never leave with the exception of quick grocery runs), the resurgence of absinthe seems to be having a...resurgence? And so I figured wormwood would make a timely, although quirky, topic for an aphrodisiac newsletter. But then, is there anything that isn't quirky about an aphrodisiac newsletter? Artemisia absinthium is an herb commonly known as wormwood because it supposedly sprouted along the path of the serpent fleeing Eden. It is an attractive perennial that was native to Eurasia and northern Africa. According to In the Devil's Garden by Stewart Lee Allen, the ancient Greeks used it to cure flatulence in dogs. And according to CasablancaFoods.com, Moroccans steeped with green tea to make a healing drink. (Its uses were unspecified.) But these are the only culinary uses for the herb I can find that are not a part of making alcoholic beverages. Which brings us to wormwood and absinthe.
 Around the time of Prohibition, it came to light that the wormwood in absinthe can cause hallucinations. It would be quite a stretch to say that Prohibition was the fault of Artemisia absinthium, but it does appear that this pretty, but potentially dangerous, plant played a role in cutting the cord between Americans and their spirits. The compound in wormwood causing such a sensation is called thujone. We don't know everything about thujone, but it is thought to block gamma aminobuyric acid, a neurotransmitter that has calming effects. Now how can anything that blocks a sense of calm be good? (Believe me, I'm asking myself that right now.) Well, basically, it's a stimulant. However, beware that it can also cause seizures. As for the association of wormwood with hallucinations, there is absolutely no evidence that thujone or any other compound found in wormwood can cause seizures. So why was absinthe linked with some frightening outcomes? It is likely a combination of a staggeringly high proof and undisclosed ingredients in the distillation that made absinthe so dangerous. After all, it was the bathtub gin of its time. As for wormwood, it is now recognized as having some potential health benefits. According to Healthline, there are indications that it may reduce inflammation and possibly relieve symptoms of Crohn's disease. And it boasts antioxidants, which may be this historically aphrodisiac plant's only real benefit to your sex life. Well, then there's the fact that it may cure flatulence…but maybe that's for a different kind of newsletter. | 
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