Botanical Ecstasies by Matthew Clark: psychoactive plant formulas in India and beyond and an ayahuasca-like soma/hoama proposal

Botanical Ecstasies argues that soma and hoama, early sacred plants linked with religious ecstasy, were likely a single identity long debated by scholars. The book surveys prior candidates including Amanita muscaria and Psilocybe cubensis, as well as the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and even ergot-derived possibilities, noting that none reliably match the evidence. Dr Matthew Clark proposes instead that soma/hoama was an ayahuasca-like plant complex made from multiple species that grow in the right regions. He suggests different candidate plants could combine to create effects resembling those associated with “classic” psychedelics, and that these early ecstatic experiences shaped emerging mysticism concepts and ritual techniques.