Reinterpreting Haoma/Soma: Catha edulis (khat) as the Sacred Plant of Zoroastrianism through the Lens of the Voynich Manuscript

What if the sacred plant of the ancient Zoroastrian and Vedic world wasn't a desert shrub, but a vivid, living stimulant that spanned empires? In this groundbreaking study, Jessica L. Scott proposes that Catha edulis—known as khat—is the true identity of Haoma/Soma, the ritual plant of divine clarity, sacred vitality, and mountainous rivers. Drawing on Avestan texts, Rigvedic hymns, botanical iconography in the Voynich Manuscript, and global pharmacological evidence, this paper challenges c...