soma/haoma

[Adela or Alain Sandness Leblanc]

On the question of the botanical identity of soma, those interested may want
to review Tatiana Elizarenkova's article, "The problem of Soma in the light
of language and style of the Rgveda published in the conference proceedings
entitled "Langue, style et structure dans le monde indien : centenaire de
Louis Renou : actes du Colloque international (Paris, 25-27 janvier 1996" by
(Paris) Librairie H. Champion in 1996 in the series Bibliotheque de l'Ecole
des Hautes Etudes IVe section, Sciences historiques et philologiques, fasc.
334 on pages 13-31.

Best wishes,
Adela Sandness
----------
>From: Stephen Hodge <s.hodge at PADMACHOLING.FREESERVE.CO.UK>
>To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
>Subject: Re: soma/haoma
>Date: Thu, Oct 12, 2000, 5:52 PM
>

>Vijay Shankar wrote:
>
>> Acc to Kochhar, soma/haoma is indeed the mountain-grown,ephedrine
> -yielding species of Ephedra.  He says that the Indo-Iranian habitat
>must
>> be the {common}Soma-land.
>
>I wonder how many of the scholars who have theories about the
>botanical identity of soma have actually tried ingesting the plants
>they propose.  In my experience, ephedrine alone is interesting but
>does not seem adequate to deserve the high praise soma is given in the
>Rg Veda.
>
>Best wishes,
>Stephen Hodge
>