Soma

The herb soma or sauma has been amidst wild speculation lately. The herb has been mentioned in the revered Vedas of Indian origin and bears the epithet of 'King of herbs'. The plant is accredited with being hallucinogenic and is said to impart a 'spiritual experience' to those who consume it. The herb has a special mention in the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. The plant even has a special mention in the Holy Avesta.

In the latter half of the 19th century, the highly conservative Zoroastrians were known to use the plant hum or homa. The origin of the plant they used and whose uses they extolled was said to be imported from the Indian Zoroastrians. The plant thrives in a cool and dry climate, and grows exceedingly well in Central Asia. It was much later that it was revealed that a number of languages of Iranian origin have homa and similar terms as the name for a variant of Ephedra.

Several research attempts and detailed study attempted to establish the soma with psychoactive properties. A number of proposals made, asserted soma as an inebriant. In Huxley's celebrated novel, 'The Brave New World', soma is described as a popular intoxicant employed by the government authorities as a method of control. The soma plant is accredited with being very versatile and part and parcel of various practices, including sex, relaxation and concentration and confidence enhancement. It is believed to be a magical single-chemical combination of many of the drugs widely in use today and is supposed to enable the suer to experience the complete hedonistic spectrum.

The herb is a mood enhancer and has wormed its way to literature and prose alike. Some of the works that celebrate the soma plant include 'The Brewing of the Soma' by John Wittier and the well-known Christian hymn 'Dear Lord, Father of Mankind'. The drug is portrayed as one capable of distracting the mind from the worship of God. The herb, many in the Orient believe, is not yet known to man and has only been revealed to the ancient seers. However, all religious texts with a mention of the plant soma or sauma specify the intoxicating effect and mood enhancing property of the drug. The fact that it transports the person into a non-real or surreal world is also mentioned. The wonder drug of the Orient is as mysterious as its properties are luring, to those who wish to indulge in order to experience a different 'high'.

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