The worship of the cattle due to its fat qualities that improves the “high”

Studies show that adding fats to cannabis consumption can improve the absorption and bioavailability of cannabinoids in the body. This mainly involves saturated fats from animal sources, although saturated fats from plant sources like coconut oil and cocoa butter can also enhance cannabis absorption.

On the other hand, studies also show that a diet rich in saturated fat raises the threshold in the reward system. The reward system includes various neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, various endorphins, acetylcholine, etc. It has been found that saturated fat reduces the signaling of dopamine D1 receptors in the nucleus accumbens, indicating suppression of dopaminergic signaling. The result is that while saturated fats help enhance the high, excessive use eventually leads to increased consumption of these substances in anticipation of appropriate rewards, i.e., the desire to achieve the same psychoactive effect.

Since I am going to talk mainly about fat consumption along with psychoactive substances, I will expand a bit on the research itself before moving on to religious studies: Cannabinoids are lipophilic, meaning they tend to dissolve and become more bioavailable in the presence of fats. Saturated fats have long-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids enhance the absorption and transport of cannabinoids through the intestinal lymphatic system, increasing the systemic exposure of cannabinoids. This has been proven in rat experiments, where absorption was significantly higher (250%-300%) in the presence of fats. The intestinal lymphatic system plays a critical role in the absorption of cannabis when combined with fats. Fats help stimulate the lymphatic system to distribute and transport cannabinoids throughout the body. Consuming fats before or during cannabis intake causes the liver and gallbladder to release bile, which helps emulsify (a mixture between two liquids that do not mix, like oil or milk and water) the fats and cannabinoids in the digestive system, making them more available for absorption.

And now to the main course: The connection between fats and cannabinoids specifically supports the theory that cannabis was the original psychedelic sacrament. However, this is not necessary because we see that animal fat in general plays a role in the reward system, and our ancestors knew this, probably through trial and error. This is why many of the potions described in legends (and scriptures) are said to have been consumed with milk. This is why we find in the Bible descriptions of oil libation along with incense burning, to enhance the absorption of the incense by those present in the “hot box”. This is why in many creation myths, sacrifice plays a role, especially the sacrifice of a bull. This is also why in many eschatological myths, it involves a correction of the first sacrifice (or an analogy to it), and a bull will be sacrificed.

In Jewish mythology, it is said that the first human sacrifice was a bull, and in the future, at the final meal, the wild ox will be sacrificed. In Zoroastrianism (in the Bundahishn), it is said that in the end times, the savior (Sōšyāns) will slaughter a bull named Hadayanš and use its fat to prepare the “Haoma”. It is also said that at the creation of the world, as part of the immortal entities accompanying Ahura Mazda, entities were created to guard the earth, the plant that grows on it, the bull from which fat is derived, and of course, the fire. At the creation of the world, along with the first man Gayomard, a bull named Gawōdād (Gavaevodata in Avestan. In Persian, it is gaw i ew-dad, or gawodad. Gav, like cow in English), and a plant named Amurdād (immortality, in Indo-Iranian terminology “psychedelia”) were created, but Ahriman killed the man and the bull and corrupted the plant. It is said that Zoroaster changed the formula of the Haoma sacrifice by removing its psychoactive component. Some say he was against using the plant itself and provided a less psychoactive alternative, while others say he simply wanted to moderate the heavy effect by refusing to allow the use of animal fat, which caused the ritual to get out of control and turn into an orgy.

Regarding Zoroaster, according to the legend, he descended to the world in several parts: the aura, the soul, and the essence of the body. The aura descended in fire, the soul descended in the Haoma plant, and the essence of the body descended through water or alternatively, milk. In fact, the rainwater that falls from the sky waters the earth, the earth grows herbs, the cows eat them and produce milk, and the milk is used for libation. Zoroaster’s mother was called “Dugdav”, “the one with milking cows”.

Fertility goddesses are described as having “cow eyes” (βοῶπις), probably because of the glazed look of someone who drank the potion (kykeon also made of honey). Apis himself was the son of the fertility goddess Hathor and was considered a mediator between man and god, and responsible for birth and rebirth, two images of the psychedelic experience. The cow was a symbol of fertility, but mainly a symbol of altered consciousness, due to its milk and apparently its fat. Now it makes sense why.

The Haoma plant identification

“The Farvahar, the soul of Zarathushtra, descended into the physical world in the form of the um. The haoma – In Middle Persian hum, and in Sanskrit soma – is a plant that was used for worship purposes in the ancient Indo-Iranian religion. Scholars differ in their opinions regarding its identification. The meaning is “squeezing”, and the properties of the plant the name , according to the hymn dedicated to him in the Vesta, are healing, sexual excitement, intellectual stimulation and intoxication. Today’s Zoroastrians worship an extract of Chinese ephedra (ephedra sinica), from which the drug ephedrine is also produced. In some Iranian languages, Chinese ephedra is still called hum. Other scholars have identified and identify the plant as cannabis or various types of hallucinogenic plants. However, according to Zoroastrian mythology, Zarathushtra’s soul came down to the world in the form of the haoma plant that was as tall as a man, and grew at the top of a particularly tall tree that grew in the area where Zarathushtra’s father grazed. Pourušaspa Spitāma, inspired by the gods of course, coveted the attractive nation. He thought he would have to cut down the tree in order to reach it, but miraculously, the haoma came down half way towards him, he climbed half way towards it and shortened it all.” From “The Good, the Bad and the World“, by Thamar Eilam Gindin , p. 25, Ministry of Defense, 2011

Chris Bennett argues in his books (” cannabis and the soma solution” etc.) that haoma and soma are cannabis, basing this on the work of several Indologists and Iranologists. For example, Elizabeth Wayland Barber suggests that the name “haoma” developed from the Chinese term “hu-ma”, meaning “fire-cannabis”, because in the rituals of the Indo-Europeans who lived there, cannabis was burned, then pressed, mixed with milk, and strained (they called this “bhang”). Since it is known that there are Chinese words of Indo-European origin, she does not rule out the possibility that the influences were bidirectional. Just as the word for “silk” originated from *s’eg”, she claims the same situation could take us from hu-ma to haoma.

The main proponent of the identification between soma and cannabis is Syed Mahdihassan. According to him, the Chinese confused it with ephedra, partly because their galls are yellow-red. Consequently, the words for cannabis and ephedra are similar and actually mirror images: cannabis is huang-ma, and ephedra is ma-huang. The origin was “hu-ma”, and in Sanskrit, the h turned into s and not the other way around. He claims that the Chinese became acquainted with this drink through contact with Aryan ascetics and adopted the practice. Thus, we find evidence of Taoist sages who burned cannabis in incense burners and traveled to the “land of the immortals”.

While Zoroaster preserved the use of ephedra, he abandoned the use of cannabis, but the Scythians retained it. He attacks them for this. It turns out that the name of the Scythians in Avestan was “Sakā haumavargā”, meaning “Scythians who prepare haoma.”

Ali Jafarey argues that although Zoroaster tried to eliminate the use of cannabis, he was not entirely successful, and “heretic” sects preserved its use. These sects were orthodox Persians who struggled to accept the reformist religious practices. We see that various Persian sects remained faithful to cannabis, such as the Manichaeans, the Mazdakites, and of course, the Sufis and Hashishin, who used it for what they called jihad—holy war meant to be both internal (Sufis) and external (Hashishin).

Challenging Dan McClellan debunk of the Cannabis in Incense Myth

Dan McClellan is a Bible scholar who publishes videos in which he confronts misinformation about academic Bible and religion research. This time, he tackles the claim that the biblical incense included cannabis. According to McClellan, this claim is based on findings from the temple at Tel Arad and relies etymologically on the similarity between the term “kaneh bosem” and cannabis, as argued by the Polish philologist and anthropologist Sula Benet, and supposedly confirmed by Michael Zohary in his book “Plants of the Bible” in 1982, and perhaps even earlier, allegedly by a 1980 study from the Hebrew University (Zohary and Raphael Mechoulam’s place). These claims are controversial and have been rejected by mainstream research. Therefore, he argues, while the idea might be reasonable and plausible, it is not proven. This is the extent of the video.

What McClellan does not mention is that the temple at Tel Arad was probably a temple to Asherah, and that worship of fertility goddesses in the ancient Near East did indeed include cannabis, similar to the worship of Ishtar in Assyria. Cannabis hot-boxing was also included in Scythian rituals and various Indo-European religious practices. The fact that the temple at Tel Arad is dated to the Assyrian period suggests that the worship there was influenced by Assyrian practices. The Bible confirms that Assyria had imperial aspirations in the region during that time, and there was a conflict in Israel between the Kingdom of Judah and the Kingdom of Israel about whether to resist the Assyrians. They even fought over it. Ahaz, King of Judah, sent a proposal of subjugation to Assyria, which proved beneficial for Judah as Assyria did not destroy the kingdom. In contrast, when Hezekiah carried out his religious reforms and abolished Asherah temples, he did so with the intent to eliminate Assyrian influence.

Hezekiah, of course, did other things that prompted Sennacherib to attack Judah. This scenario provides a satisfactory explanation, in my opinion, to infer the likelihood that cannabis was used in the worship of the Judahite Asherah, at least during the days of Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, and Manasseh, his son. It could also possibly extend back to the days of Solomon, as the description of the sinful worship during Ahaz’s time (and also in the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah) applies throughout the days of the Kingdom of Judah, and of course during Solomon’s reign, who is said to have sacrificed and burned incense on high places. He even seemed to perform something like an incubation (in a hot-box) in the temple at Gibeon (i.e the hill). The high places were those where the altars stood, just as it is written about Ahaz: “He sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree”. McClellan ignores this.

A bit about the evolution of cannabis

The origin of cannabis dates back 28 million years. Tectonic plate activity, which caused geological folding as a result of the penetration of the Indian subcontinent into Asia, contributed to the flourishing of cannabis by creating a comfortable habitat for it. Cannabis thrives in open, treeless habitats such as the Tibetan Plateau. From there, it spread eastward and westward. It was domesticated in China 12,000 years ago, but its use as a drug goes back “just” 4,000 years. It is not clear how they were discovered, but probably as a result of starvation. When you are hungry you eat everything.

The earliest clear evidence of people using drug-type cannabis to get high comes from a mountain cemetery in western China about 2,200 years ago. Written evidence from India suggests that people were using drug-type cannabis as early as 2,000 years ago. The use of cannabis spread to Africa in the 13th century and to Latin America in the 16th century.

The psychoactive effects of cannabis are attributed to molecules like THC, which interact with the endocannabinoid system in animals. The endocannabinoid system is a system of regulation and control of signals in various cells in the body, and is found in almost all animals. The system involved in regulating various biological functions such as appetite, sleep, mood, memory, metabolism, and growth. The system uses molecules produced by the body called endocannabinoids, which are similar to those produced by cannabis, and various receptors in the body bind to them. What THC does is essentially mimic these substances and activate these systems.

Compounds such as THC and CBD are called phytocannabinoids, and their function is not entirely clear. They may serve some purpose for the plant, or it may be that in the form of distributing endocannabinoid-like compounds, the plant “punishes” the creature that ate it and causes it to lose control of its body.

Phytocannabinoids have evolved during the evolution of cannabis to protect itself, that’s clear, from various pests such as pathogens and herbivores. But who, where, how, and why? Unclear. Based on the antimicrobial and antifungal properties, it can be assumed that these were the pathogens that prevented cannabis from surviving, and based on the psychoactive properties, either a predator that destabilized cannabis existed somewhere, or one of the side effects of cannabis protection against a threat to it, in case, also affects the endocannabinoid system. And perhaps cannabis developed this substance to specifically attract creatures that would be poisoned from the influence on this system, and through them, it spread better.