The most used were Psilocybe spp., being mentioned by approximately 91% of the participants 50% of the respondents in the study had made use of no other natural hallucinogens besides these. The main reason for beginning to use these substances was curiosity, and most people began using them in their 20s. In compiling the lists of all the participants, 26 different plants/mushrooms, mixtures, or products were found to have been used. The present study examined the patterns of use among a sample of 68 users of hallucino-genic plants and mushrooms in Slovenia. While unlikely to end debate over the identity of Soma, this study's findings help to solidify the foundation of Wasson's theory, and also to demonstrate the importance of preparation in understanding and uncovering the true identity of Soma. The findings of this study demonstrated that the effects of Amanita muscaria were related to the type of preparation employed, and that its toxic effects were considerably reduced by preparations that paralleled those described for Soma in the Rig Veda. In order to address these specific criticisms over 600 anecdotal accounts of Amanita muscaria inebriation were collected and analyzed to determine the impact of preparation on Amanita muscaria's effects. Several critics have reasoned that such preparation should be unnecessary if equivalent results can be obtained by consuming the raw plant, as is done with other psychoactive mushrooms. One omission in Wasson's theory is his failure to explain how pressing and filtering Soma, as described in the Rig Veda, supports his theory of Soma's identity.

While Wasson's theory has garnered acclaim, it is not without its faults. Gordon Wasson first proposed his groundbreaking theory identifying Soma, the hallucinogenic sacrament of the Vedas, as the Amanita muscaria mushroom.

Soma divine mushroom of immortality