Haoma of the irano-aryans as the medicinal plant, ephedra

ABSTRACT

Haoma of Avesta and Soma of the Vedas is ephedra. Its ephedrine is an energizer-cum-euphoriant. Th early Aryans as nomads led a life of over-exertion and used ephedra-juice to impart strength and to make them happy. Its real discoverer was a Chinese ascetic. The Chinese species of ephedra resembled yellow fibers of hemp and the name of the latter was transferred to ephedra. Ephedra and hemp both were called in Chinese Hua-Ma or Ho-Ma. That originally hemp and ephedra shared the same name is supported by the fact that later, when each was specified, Hemp = Huang-Ma and Ephedra = Ma-Huang. These names are mirror images of each other and as such identical thereby recalling that earlier both shared a common name. Then the other name Hua-Ma became Hau-Ma in Avesta with Ho-Ma retained as, synonym. Both Hau-Ma and Ho-Ma are directly traceable to Chinese. Ho-Ma became So-Ma in Sanskrit. Since the original Soma plant was the Chinese species which is yellow both Avesta and Rig-Veda speak of the plant as golden-yellow. Ephedra extract, as energizer-cum-euphoriant, was consumed twice by the Avesta Aryans and thrice by the Vedic-Aryans. It was a domestic drink indispensable to the nomads. Once the Aryans took to agriculture it was no longer required and Haoma and Soma went out of use as drinks. Meanwhile the juice had become a drug of Longevity-cum-immortality and as such its use persisted in Iran, where ephedra is indigenous. The Iranians therefore had an uninterrupted use of Haoma, being given to a newly born child to confer longevity and to the dying to expedite resurrection. In India it had to be imported for this purpose. This minor use of Haoma confirms the herb as having remained genuine. The Haoma plant of Iran has been duly identified as ephedra. The names of Ephedra which have survived also seem to be derivatives of the word Homa. Moreover1 even the name Soma has been recorded as existing. The etymology of three synonyms of Haoma in Avesta reveal it to be a perennial plant constituted of erect and numerous stalks. The Haoma ceremony in essence is consecration of fire. The Iranians on entering Iran learnt from the Babylonians that pomegranate, an indigenous tree, is evergreen and bears red seeded fruit. These qualities characterized it as being rich in soul content. It became the best source of consecrating fire and was used mainly for that purpose while ephedra was retained to supply the energizing drink, Haoma. Pomegranate also received several names all signifying evergreen plant incorporating the principle of growth as also that of fertility. However, life in a city could not procure as many twigs of the pomegranate tree as required by the number of ceremonies. It had to be replaced by metal wires. But for minor use as drug of longevity and immortality, ephedra could never be substituted