Which plant was haoma?
In Yasna, the most sacred Zoroastrian rite, priests prepare and drink “haoma”, a symbol of immortality, purification and the bond with God. Which plant it was made from is still debated. The strongest candidate is ephedra; the name is related to “soma” in the Indian Vedas. Some researchers propose Syrian rue, burned against the evil eye in Anatolia: its seeds contain harmine and harmaline. The answer is still unclear.
Source: Tayebeh Zarei Karyani, Morteza Yousefzadi, Reza Sheikhakbari-Mehr, “Haoma: unveiling the mysteries of Iran’s sacred Zoroastrian botanical wonder”, Ethnobotany Research and Applications 31, 2025 (Zarei Karyani et al., Ethnobot Res Appl, 2025). This is a folk record, not a treatment recommendation.
An amulet at the door, poison in the mouth