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The Mythical world had many wonders, magical and fascinating. Yet, most scientific in form. One such element in the Puranas is the Amrita. It is a drink churned from the sea that made the Devas immortal. But the religion only says that nobody, even Brahma, can be immortal. The Amrita ensured the longevity and healthy lives of the Devas and their families. People in the Satya Yug used to live four times the average age now, that is, 65 years. Amrita helped them stay fit and healthy.
Then came the Treta Yug, when the Rig Vedas were formed in their initial stages and handed over to the Devas. The Devas must have thought of ensuring the secrets of the Amrita with their successors, and hymns were made for it. The story of how they churned the seas with the asuras came alive. People in Treta lived three times the age they live now.
Towards the end of Treta and the beginning of Dwapar, Hymns were composed to a " Great Soma". Initially, Soma was thought to have represented the Moon God, described as a resident of the sky, and a friend to the Gandharvas. Later on, further hymns describe how drinking the Soma Raas made people gain strength in weakness and cured them of the deadliest of diseases. These hymns raised questions. What was the Soma?
The Soma was actually a plant that grew in the high Himalayas and in the hills of Afghanistan. The Avestan from contemporary times calls them Haoma. They had small spine-like leaves as described in Avestan texts, and their flowers were white like the Moon. Some Rig Vedic texts suggest an acidic, milky white liquid that was extracted from these difficult-to-find plants and was mixed with the waters of the Sarasvati. This extremely precious drink was then made available to the royal people as a cure.
Some scientists believe that this plant is actually a plant of the Ephedra group, but it is now extinct. Others believe it is the Asclepias acida of Roxburgh, but its magical properties of healing are now lost. This plant also grows in parts of Punjab and the Bolan Pass.
It also had alcoholic properties that made people drunk if they had excessive amounts of it. Avestan texts warn people of the ill effects if consumed in larger quantities. Soma Raas was thus in fact this milky white drink. The trees grew in very cold areas atop the Himalayas, and only trained and skilled people could go to collect them. During wars, Soma was consumed in large quantities to heal wounds and gain strength for the next day's battle.
The Rig Vedas also reveal that when the people did not know how to make this drink, they used to collect the plants and take them to Indra, the God King, who made the drink with his secret. Some scholars believed that the magical healing properties came to the drink because of its mixture with the water properties of the Sarasvati River. Indra is even attributed to introducing Soma to people when this drink was already popular in the Avestan religion. Some Rig Vedic hymns even say that the people who drink Soma believe they are immortal, as"no diseases can harm them and no wound can kill them." Some myths say the Gandharvas kept and distributed the Soma as per Indra's instructions, according to the need to prevent their misuse. The juice was prepared by mixing the juice of the plant, waters of the Sarasvati and Cow Milk in the right proportions and then filtering it through Lamb wool. It was even wanted for offerings to Agni during Yagnas to please the Gods. Nowadays, as Soma is not available, Mango leaves made in a bunch of five meant to look like the Soma leaf are used, and yellow flowers are used instead of the yellow branches of the Soma.
In Greece, also, a drink called Ambrosia is similar in properties to Haoma or Soma. It is believed to be from high altitudes and brought to Olympus by doves. It is sometimes described as a fragrant nectar liquid and is
However, due to unknown reasons, Soma became unavailable. The ingredients and recipes for making the drink, hence, became unnecessary knowledge and disappeared in time. Nobody in the later Dwapar knew of this drink, and the human life span slowly began to decrease due to the unavailability of cures for many diseases as the Kali Yug advanced. A man's life span decreased to 65 years on average.
Zoroastrianism, as preached by the Avesta, talks more about the ill effects of this plant than the Vedas. Their books state that if consumed in larger quantities as a drug, Soma is more harmful than alcohol and could cause death. Unaware of these effects Royals started having the drink as a sign of luxury and hence ended up in the extinction of the plants.
Several Vedic rituals like Somayagna, meant for the worship of these magical plants, are still done in parts of South India. Here, the Vedic hymns meant for Soma are still sung, and white drinks made of other similar plants and fruits are drunk to thank the gods. In Ayurveda and Siddha, a plant with similar but less healing properties is still used, and it is called Sarcostemma acidum. Zoroastrianism also held such worship to remember the Haoma and its magic till the late 1970s in remote villages near Yazd.
All said and done, it is one of the most important extinct or lost plants that scientists are still waiting to identify and test, and about ten plants have been identified with similar descriptions and properties, but with less to no medicinal values, as far as the medical world is concerned. This plant and the preparation of the Som Raas are still a mystery to Kali Yug that will probably never be solved. Maybe for the greater good of Humanity.