Absinth, Or Wormwood, the tops and leaves of artemisia absinthium, a plant of the order compositae and tribe senecionideae. It contains a volatile oil and a very bitter, resinous substance called absinthine. It has been used as an aromatic, bitter tonic, and anthelmintic. It derives its chief importance from being a constituent of the French liqueur called absinthe. This consists of alcohol holding in solution the active principles, mostly volatile oils, of several aromatic plants besides wormwood. The precipitation of these oils, when the liqueur is added to water, produces whitening or clouding. The continued use of absinthe has been found to give rise in man to symptoms of an epileptic character, not altogether attributable to the alcohol it contains. Experiments have shown that the essence of absinth, in a single large dose, may cause epileptiform convulsions in animals. The brain disease produced by this drug is considered incurable, though temporary respites may occur.