A History of Agriculture in India v1.c25.s3.5

v1.c25.s3.5

In addition to milk, the Aryan had at least two intoxicating drinks. The first was the soma, which however, by the time of the Rig-Veda, appears almost exclusively as a sacrificial drink. Basham⁴ believes that soma was possibly bhang (Cannabis sativa), whose consumption produces vivid hallucinations and expansion of consciousness. Bhang grows wild in the submontane districts of the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh as well as in Central Asia and South Russia. It is the favourite drink of sadhus and hippies. Bhang is most likely the soma plant.