पुष्णामि चौषधीः सर्वाः सोमो भूत्वा रसात्मकः ॥ १५-१३॥
This usage of the word Soma indicates that at least by the time of composition of Gita, Soma has been viewed as the Rasa that provides the common quality to all the (medicinal) plants.
Even if this usage is viewed as the result of a semantic change from the Vedic usage, there has to be a common semantic connection between the two usages that lead to this semantic change.
Just a note that is it certainly untrue that South Asia lacks living traditions involving consumption of psychedelic plants; shamans in Nepal, for example, have a rich and diverse tradition of using dozens of such plants. On this, see the following excellent and heavily photo-documented book: *Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas* by Claudia Müller-Ebeling; Christian Rätsch, 2002.
Michael Slouber, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, South Asian Studies
Dept. of Liberal Studies
Western Washington University
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