Absinthe, known as the "cocaine of the 19th century," was a distilled liquor made with the additive wormwood. Wormwood, when combined with alcohol becomes a narcotic producing a variety of disturbing physical and mental problems. Known as "the green fairy," "the plague," "the enemy," and "the queen of poisons," absinthe caused great social problems partly because it became associated with inspiration and freedom and became a symbol of decadence--characteristics counter to Victorian sensibility and propriety.

    According to those familiar with the drink, absinthe can produce euphoria without drunkenness, a heightening of the senses, and, in general, an effect similar to that produced by opium or cocaine. Over indulgence in the drink, however, can result in addiction, after which one can expect rapid mental and physical deterioration. The most dangerous ingredient in absinthe is the potent, bitter oil which is extracted from the wormwood and which contains the narcotic thujone.

    Wormwood was believed to be beneficial when used for medicinal purposes. The plants could allegedly drive sickness from the body, enhance fertility in barren women, break up gallstones, restore the memory, prevent tiredness, and ward off dangerous animals. It was prescribed for various ailments, among them menstrual pains, anemia, and rheumatism. Wormwood was also reputed to prevent lice and to act as an antidote to poisonous fungi, to hemlock, and to bites of certain poisonous reptiles.

    Absinthe, unlike the more popular beer, was relatively expensive and its use was restricted to the middle class and to certain artistic groups, where, it is reported, its hallucinatory effects were much appreciated. Literary men and artists were particularly drawn to the drink, believing that it would inspire them with new ideas and add fuel to the creative process. An additional attraction of the drink was the prevailing belief that it was an aphrodisiac that would stimulate sexual appetites and increase sexual enjoyment.

     Though absinthe achieved greatest popularity among the French and the Swiss, many prominent English writers were fans of its narcotic properties, among them playwright William Shakespeare and diarist Samuel Pepys from Tudor England, and novelist Oscar Wilde and poet Ernest Christopher Dowson from the Victorian period. In 1897, after a period of excessive drinking, Dowson wrote a poem entitled "Absinthia Taetra," which describes the absinthe drinker's futile attempt to escape the pain and humiliation of past memories and to experience some degree of peace.