Spess makes a daring thesis -- that Indo-Aryan ritualists created an entheogenic ceremony that eventually spread throughout all of Eurasia -- and he argues cogently that soma and its rituals reached all of the great civilizations, creating alchemy and magic. This book reveals the history of the divine soma, not just in India, but in all subsequent searches for the golden germ and the elixir of immortality. a well-argued and convincing book, worth reading many times over!
-- Willard Johnson, Professor of Religious Studies, San Diego State University

"This fascinating tour de force of impeccable scholarship, written with enviable elan, succeeds brilliantly in disclosing the elusive identity of the soma plants of India and their impact on the cultural history of China, Eruope and the Near East. Provocative, intriguing, and sure to generate scholarly debate, this seminal work is absolutely essential for anyone interested in soma and hallucinogenic plants."
-- Frank H. Lipp, Ph.D., Author of New Plant Sources for Drugs and Food and Herbalism: Living Wisdom.