DOSE: T+ 0:00	50 drops	oral	Wormwood	(extract)
T+ 1:00	40 drops	oral	Wormwood	(extract)

BODY WEIGHT:

165 lb

I did a lot of research on the effects and ramifications of using wormwood, including the experiences related here, and decided to give it a go. I considered the irony that absinthe is banned in the U.S. because of its wormwood content, but wormwood itself can be purchased freely over the counter.

So I bought an ounce bottle of wormwood extract. I poured a cup of about 6 ounces of water and dropped in approximately 50 drops of the extract. Taking a mouthful of the fluid into my mouth, it had absolutely no taste whatsoever, but upon swallowing, a bitter taste so vile exploded in my mouth that I considered scrapping the whole experiment and pouring the rest down the drain. I perservered, however. My thinking was: anything with a taste this powerfully awful has got to have some sort of effect on the consciousness.

I was in a big hurry to go out to a movie so I managed to choke down the entire mix in about 20 minutes while I was getting ready. I was using Dr. Pepper as a chaser to try to kill that horrendous taste, but it really was very little help. Clearly, choking down the mixture while in a hurry to leave the house is a less than ideal circumstance.

I drank almost the whole mixture, leaving only a small mouthful left in the cup. As I was moving to the door to leave, I was stopped in my tracks by a rising wave of nausea. After gagging a few times and tasting that bitterness at the back of my throat, I realized I could not fight the need to vomit, despite my desire to fulfil this experiment. I threw up twice, and then left on my way. The vomit was not very heavy; in fact it was quite light and not all that bad. I thought the repeat of that bitterness would be unbearable, but it was actually just a bit of relief and I felt fine afterwards. I feel that if I had taken my time and tried to imbibe the mixture more slowly, I could have (possibly) avoided the nausea.

[Erowid Note: Driving while intoxicated, tripping, or extremely sleep deprived is dangerous and irresponsible because it endangers other people. Don't do it!]

Despite likely throwing up most of the mixture, I began to feel a pronounced mellowness on the drive to the theater. I had taken no other substances that day, so I isolated the effect to either that of the wormwood or perhaps a bit of an endorphine effect after my vomiting spell. My drive to the theater was about 20 minutes. During that time I had no difficulty operating the vehicle or maintaining coordination.

By the time I sat down in the theater, I was fairly certain that I was feeling some effect from the mixture. The effect was mild, though certainly noticable. It was like a mellow warmth, somewhat similar to that experienced from prescription painkillers. I had purchased about a 24 ounce cherry coke, and at the start of the movie I dropped about 40 more drops into my drink.

The taste of the soft drink was not quite as foul, because it was much larger than the small amount of water and therefore the extract was more diluted. Also, the sweetness of the beverage offset the bitterness slightly. I drank approximately 12 ounces of the drink before the close of the film, which was about an hour and a half.

Throughout the movie I did notice a strengthening of the warm, mellow feeling as I drank more of my tainted soft drink. The effect never went beyond a mellow warmth. I did feel a few brief moments of pleasant euphoria (emphasis on few and brief, and maybe closer to apathy than euphoria) similar, again, to painkillers, and perhaps a few moments of sensory enhancement and increased significance. I trashed the rest of my mixture shortly after the close of the film. The effect lasted for about 3 to 4 hours total, and the long duration was possibly the most positive aspect of the experience; then again, I did drink the stuff over a period of about 2 hours.

Overall, the experience was not a bad one, but it was not good enough to make me drink such a vile mixture again. There is a serious 'law of diminishing returns' to consider in that you're not necessarily going to get back all of the effort you put in coping with the vile taste. I'm used to sipping Wild Turkey, so when I say the taste was quite horrible, take it to heart.

I believe I will experiment further with wormwood, but not in exactly the same manner. I am considering making a similar mixture to the first one I made with water, but perhaps with only about an ounce of water so I can chug the whole thing in one gulp. Of course, this will magnify the vile taste, but I believe it might be easier to choke down one gulp that is very vile than multiple gulps that are not quite as vile. I'm also considering dropping the extract on top of a smokeable herb and then smoking it when it dries.

Exp Year: 2004	ExpID: 36023
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Mar 17, 2007	Views: 26,516
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Wormwood (50) : Alone (16), First Times (2)