Soma

soma (sō`mə), psychotropic plant, the juice of which was sometimes drunk as part of the Vedic sacrifice (see Veda). Many hymns in the Rig-Veda are in praise of soma. In the late Vedic period substitutes for soma came to be used, and the original plant was lost. It has recently been identified with the fly agaric mushroom, Amanita muscaria, used in Siberian shamanism.

Bibliography

See R. G. Wasson, Soma: Divine Mushroom of Immortality (1971).

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soma

In ancient Indian religion, an unidentified plant, the juice of which was an offering of the Vedic sacrifices. Its stalks were pressed, and its juice, filtered through wool, was mixed with water and milk. After being offered as a libation to the gods, the remainder of the soma was consumed by the priests and the sacrificer. It was highly valued for its exhilarating, probably hallucinogenic, effect. The plant was believed to have been delivered to the earth from heaven by an eagle. The personified deity Soma was the master of plants, healer of disease, and bestower of riches. See also Vedic religion.

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soma [′sō·mə]

(biology)

The whole of the body of an individual, excluding the germ tract.

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soma

drug that induces forgetfulness. [Br. Lit.: Brave New World]

See : Forgetfulness

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Soma

a term introduced by the German zoologist A. Weismann to designate the body of an organism, in contrast to the germ plasm, that is transmitted from generation to generation through the sex cells (seeGERM TRACK). Weismann maintained that the soma could not affect the characteristics of the germ plasm. The differentiation of an organism into soma and germ plasm (the hereditary substance) proves that it is impossible to inherit characteristics acquired as a result of environmental conditions during an organism’s development (seeACQUIRED CHARACTER). The adjective “somatic” is used to indicate physical phenomena as opposed to phenomena of a psychological nature.