Posted by Shawn. T. on July 18, 2003, at 23:04:09
In reply to Absinthe--active constituents, brain activity?, posted by Ame Sans Vie on July 18, 2003, at 9:33:10
I'm not sure about asarones and anethole; I believe that hyssop may have some psychoactive activity. The primary active ingredients in absinthe are alpha-thujone, beta-thujone, and ethanol. Alpha-thujone is active at the noncompetitive blocker sites of GABA-A receptors, which modulate chloride channels. Beta-thujone is approximately 2.3-fold less potent at GABA-A receptors than alpha-thujone. I'm sure that ethanol's effects at GABA-A receptors counteract the effects of alpha-thujone and beta-thujone to some degree; I seriously doubt that consuming purified alpha-thujone would have positive effects. So absinthe basically blocks inhibitory neurotransmission (mediated by GABA-A receptors) in the brain; there may be some similarities between alcohol withdrawal- induced hallucinations and absinthe- induced perceptual changes.
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/97/8/3826
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/97/9/4417
Shawn
poster:Shawn. T.
thread:243127
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030718/msgs/243371.html