Soma (Sanskrit) or Haoma (Zoroastrian) is not alcohol based. It was/is the juice of a plant - from its leaves, twigs etc - which was extracted by grinding them with water. There is no mention of fermentation (which generates alcohol) in preparation of Soma drink.
Several plants contain psychoactive substances.
One example is Bhang plant the use of which is ancient. Its common name in English is cannabis plant, while scientific name is Cannabis sativa. I think the drug is contained in the flowers, buds & leaves near them. It can be used a drink (occasionally used in India during Holi festival), smoked, etc. Products are called bhang, hashish, marihuana are produced from the plant. [2]
Another example is Afeem plant. Its common name in English is Poppy while scientific name is Papaver somniferum. A cut is made in the pod which has grown, milk/latex flows out, which is collected. This milk contains the psychoactive substance which is extracted. Products are called morphine and then as heroine. [1]
The above plants do not contain any alcohol.
Identification psychoactive substance of Soma plant as Ephedrine:
Soma juice is / was also a plant-based drink which contained psychoactive substances like the two cited above.
We have two tips on its identification which equate it with a plant of ephedra family.
"In 1989 Harry Falk noted that, in the texts, both haoma and soma were said to enhance alertness and awareness, did not coincide with the consciousness altering effects of an entheogen, and that "there is nothing shamanistic or visionary either in early Vedic or in Old Iranian texts", (Falk, 1989) Falk also asserted that the three varieties of ephedra that yield ephedrine (Ephedra gerardiana, E. major procera and E. intermedia) also have the properties attributed to haoma by the texts of the Avesta. (Falk, 1989) At the conclusion of the 1999 Haoma-Soma workshop in Leiden, Jan E. M. Houben writes: "despite strong attempts to do away with ephedra by those who are eager to see sauma[sic] as a hallucinogen, its status as a serious candidate for the Rigvedic Soma and Avestan Haoma still stands" (Houben, 2003)." [4]
In other words, there are three plant species of Ephedra plant genus which yield Ephedrine.
One: Practice of Indian Zoroastrians [3]:
"In the late 19th century, the highly conservative Zoroastrians of Yazd (Iran) were found to use genus Ephedra, which was locally known as hum or homa and which they exported to the Indian Zoroastrians. (Aitchison, 1888) The plant, as Falk also established, requires a cool and dry climate, i.e. it does not grow in India (which is either too hot or too humid or both) but thrives in central Asia. Later, it was discovered that a number of Iranian languages and Persian dialects have hom or similar terms as the local name for some variant of Ephedra. Considered together, the linguistic and ritual evidence appeared to conclusively establish that haoma was some variant of Ephedra." [3]
Two: Archaeological support:
In 1994, Viktor Sarianidi claimed that ancient ritual objects found at BMAC archeological sites in Central Asia bore traces of Ephedra stalks and Papaver (poppy) seeds. In 1995, Harri Nyberg investigated the specimens provided by Sarianidi but could not confirm the claim. Another site provided material which Sarianidi had declared contained traces of Ephedra, papaver and hemp (Cannabis) in 1998–1999. It was analysed in 2002–2003 by three independent teams, but they found no traces of the claimed contents. [5]
So archaeological evidence for identification is weak.
Rajesh Kochhar in his book "Vedic People' devotes one chapter to identification of Soma which is the best discussion I have read on the subject. I am feeling lazy now to take out the book, but memory is that he also agrees with Ephedra genus and Ephedrine as the psychoactive substance in Soma drink.
If you want to taste Soma juice today, may have to look for Parsee friend in Mumbai. That is the only chance.
Reference:
[1]
Opium - Wikipedia
[2]
Cannabis (drug) - Wikipedia
[3]
Haoma - Wikipedia
[4]
Soma (drink) - Wikipedia
[5]
Botanical identity of soma–haoma - Wikipedia
