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Soma and Haoma: Ayahuasca analogues from the Late Bronze Age

Matthew D Clark

Journal of Psychedelic Studies June 1, 2019 DOI: 10.1556/2054.2019.013 (opens in new tab)

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Characteristics Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Topics Ayahuasca
Keywords Soma Bronze age Ancient history Consciousness Traditional medicine Literature
Citations 22
Key points Argues that formulas similar to ayahuasca were developed in antiquity in Central Asia and that knowledge of psychoactive plants spread via migrants to Persia and India.

Abstract

In this article, the origins of the cult of the ritual drink known as soma/haoma are explored. Various shortcomings of the main botanical candidates that have so far been proposed for this so-called “nectar of immortality” are assessed. Attention is brought to a variety of plants identified as soma/haoma in ancient Asian literature. Some of these plants are included in complex formulas and are sources of dimethyl tryptamine, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and other psychedelic substances. It is suggested that through trial and error the same kinds of formulas that are used to make ayahuasca in South America were developed in antiquity in Central Asia and that the knowledge of the psychoactive properties of certain plants spreads through migrants from Central Asia to Persia and India. This article summarizes the main arguments for the botanical identity of soma/haoma , which is presented in my book, The Tawny One: Soma, Haoma and Ayahuasca (Muswell Hill Press, London/New York). However, in this article, all the topics dealt with in that publication, such as the possible ingredients of the potion used in Greek mystery rites, an extensive discussion of cannabis, or criteria that we might use to demarcate non-ordinary states of consciousness, have not been elaborated.

Comparable studies

Other theoretical and historical papers on ayahuasca, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
The globalization of ayahuasca: Harm reduction or benefit maximization? 2006 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Ayahuasca Shamanism in the Amazon and Beyond 2014 Theoretical or philosophical paper
The Antipodes of the Mind: Charting the Phenomenology of the Ayahuasca Experience 2003 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Towards psychedelic apprenticeship: Developing a gentle touch for the mediation and validation of psychedelic-induced insights and revelations. 2022 Theoretical or philosophical paper
Ayahuasca healing beyond the Amazon: the globalization of a traditional indigenous entheogenic practice 2008 Theoretical or philosophical paper

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