Wasson's Alternative Candidates for Soma
Journal of Psychoactive Drugs – April 01, 1993
Source: OpenAlex
Summary
R. Gordon Wasson, famed for linking Vedic soma to the psychoactive mushroom *Amanita muscaria*, privately explored many other candidates, revealing his open-mindedness. Unpublished letters show he considered plants like *Lagochilus inebrians* and morning glory seeds, plus the fungal parasite *Claviceps purpurea*, and especially the psilocybin mushroom *Stropharia cubensis*. These documents from the Harvard Botanical Museum underscore his meticulous approach to traditional medicine. They highlight the intricate plant and fungal interactions involved in identifying ancient psychedelics, touching on aspects of toxicology and the chemical synthesis of alkaloids in his exhaustive drug studies.
Abstract
Citing recently published challenges to R. Gordon Wasson's identification of Vedic soma as the psychoactive mushroom Amanita muscaria (fly-agaric), this article reviews unpublished letters by Wasson in which he considered and rejected other psychoactive plants as candidates, including the mint Lagochilus inebrians, Convolvulaceae (morning glory) seeds, the fungal parasite Claviceps purpurea (ergot), and especially the psilocybin mushroom Stropharia cubensis, known also as Psilocybe cubensis. Apart from their historical interest, these letters--from the Tina and Gordon Wasson Ethnomycological Collection at the Harvard Botanical Museum--demonstrate that Wasson remained open to refinements of his theory.