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such as that experienced by an ancient tribesman whoinsisted that he had just been born! Religious fervoroften accompanies the inebriation.Recent studies suggest that this mushroom was themysterious God-narcotic soma of ancient India. Thousandsof years ago, Aryan conquerors, who sweptacross India, worshiped soma, drinking it in religiousceremonies. Many hymns in the Indian Rig-Veda are devotedto soma and describe the plant and its effects.The use of soma eventually died out, and its identityhas been an enigma for 2,000 years. During the pastcentury, more than 100 plants have been suggested,but none answers the descriptions found in the manyhymns. Recent ethnobotanical detective work, leadingto its identification as A. muscaria, is strengthened bythe reference in the vedas to ceremonial urine drinking,since the main intoxicating constituent, muscimole (knownHOller\1, 0 _/-- H-coo -co2Ell NH3. H20 -H20lbotenic AcidMuscimoleH O=C, __/-CH-C0080 IEll NH3MuscazoneChemical formulas ofthe important Amanitamuscaria alkaloids.26