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The history of haoma
The author traces the roots of the haoma plant and its usage amongst Zoroastrians
The Aryans were a warrior and grain-growing people. They had a tribal religion with a hereditary priesthood, with a full compliment of gods, including Soma. Their homeland was somewhere in central Asia. Approximately 4,000 years ago, they split into three distinct groups. Two of these were the Indic and Iranian. The Indics settled into what is now Afghanistan and the Valley of the Indus. The other group settled in what is now Iran and became the Iranian people. Both groups passed on their religious knowledge orally, which was subsequently written down and has been preserved to the present. Specifically, these religious works are the Rig Veda and the Avesta, of the Indian Hindus and Iranian Zoroastrians, respectively. In both religions there is reference to a plant, which is believed to have hallucinogenic properties and is used in religious ceremonies.
The plant was referred to as soma in the Rig Veda and haoma in the Avesta. Another plant, oleaceae, or the ash tree, was used by the Romans in the same way the Aryans and Zoroastrians used ephedra. Some western scholars now say that the descendants of these people would continue to carry out the ceremonies involving their sacred plant, but the knowledge as to the actual identity of their plant was lost, soon after leaving their original homeland in central Asia.
There are several more theories put forward in recent years about the exact plant that constituted the haoma and soma. However, the most important and credible account comes from R. Gordon Wasson in his book Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality (1968). He argues that soma (and possibly hom) juice was extracted from a mushroom called the fly-agaric. This mushroom is so named because of its ability to attract and eliminate flies.
Is it possible that the Zoroastrian practice of preparing taro or gomez or consecrated albino bull's urine could be connected to the properties of the mushroom?
Is it possible that the Zoroastrian practice of preparing taro or gomez or consecrated albino bull's urine could be connected to the properties of the mushroom? If the ancient Zoroastrians found it repugnant to drink someone else's urine as haoma, like they did in Siberia, they might have found it acceptable to drink a special bull's urine. Is it possible that the varasiyo bull was fed the mushroom, and subsequently its urine collected and refined and consecrated with prayers to make the taro that had hallucinatory effects? The bull would be too strong an animal to be affected with nausea caused by the mushroom whereas its urine would get rid of the metabolites leaving the taro to be enjoyed as a religious drink for attaining spiritual awareness. Is it likely that the taro when tested has no bacterial presence even after several days (whereas a normal urine would turn turbid and foul) due to the presence of ibotenic acid, muscimol and muscarine which are chemicals that affect the central nervous system in mysterious ways?
Some researchers now think that soma or haoma was extracted from the harmel (ispand) or Syrian rue plant. In Gujarati it is called ispun or hurmaro. Native to arid parts of West Asia and North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and across to Pakistan and India, it was introduced into the United States in 1920 and is now found along interstate highway-10 between Pecos, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. A widely known and used herb in its native area, its seeds yield a dye "Turkish red" or "Syrian red," long used in Persian carpets. Egyptian studies found that its extract is markedly fungicidal and bactericidal, due to harmine mostly. In India it was reported to be used for curing syphilis, fevers, hysteria, malaria, neuralgia, Parkinsonism, prolapse of the womb, rheumatism, colic, asthma and eye complaints. The carboline alkaloids, located in the seeds and the roots, stimulate the brain and may induce visual hallucinations. This latter property, some scientists suggest
The plant was referred to as soma in the Rig Veda and haoma in the Avesta. Another plant, oleaceae, or the ash tree, was used by the Romans in the same way the Aryans and Zoroastrians used ephedra. Some western scholars now say that the descendants of these people would continue to carry out the ceremonies involving their sacred plant, but the knowledge as to the actual identity of their plant was lost, soon after leaving their original homeland in central Asia.
There are several more theories put forward in recent years about the exact plant that constituted the haoma and soma. However, the most important and credible account comes from R. Gordon Wasson in his book Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality (1968). He argues that soma (and possibly hom) juice was extracted from a mushroom called the fly-agaric. This mushroom is so named because of its ability to attract and eliminate flies.
Is it possible that the Zoroastrian practice of preparing taro or gomez or consecrated albino bull's urine could be connected to the properties of the mushroom?
Is it possible that the Zoroastrian practice of preparing taro or gomez or consecrated albino bull's urine could be connected to the properties of the mushroom? If the ancient Zoroastrians found it repugnant to drink someone else's urine as haoma, like they did in Siberia, they might have found it acceptable to drink a special bull's urine. Is it possible that the varasiyo bull was fed the mushroom, and subsequently its urine collected and refined and consecrated with prayers to make the taro that had hallucinatory effects? The bull would be too strong an animal to be affected with nausea caused by the mushroom whereas its urine would get rid of the metabolites leaving the taro to be enjoyed as a religious drink for attaining spiritual awareness. Is it likely that the taro when tested has no bacterial presence even after several days (whereas a normal urine would turn turbid and foul) due to the presence of ibotenic acid, muscimol and muscarine which are chemicals that affect the central nervous system in mysterious ways?
Some researchers now think that soma or haoma was extracted from the harmel (ispand) or Syrian rue plant. In Gujarati it is called ispun or hurmaro. Native to arid parts of West Asia and North Africa, the Mediterranean, the Middle East and across to Pakistan and India, it was introduced into the United States in 1920 and is now found along interstate highway-10 between Pecos, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona. A widely known and used herb in its native area, its seeds yield a dye "Turkish red" or "Syrian red," long used in Persian carpets. Egyptian studies found that its extract is markedly fungicidal and bactericidal, due to harmine mostly. In India it was reported to be used for curing syphilis, fevers, hysteria, malaria, neuralgia, Parkinsonism, prolapse of the womb, rheumatism, colic, asthma and eye complaints. The carboline alkaloids, located in the seeds and the roots, stimulate the brain and may induce visual hallucinations. This latter property, some scientists suggest
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