mind-altering plants in early judaism

[mkrnhr]

I found this article in
_http://www.scribd.com/doc/2231000/Moses-the-Shaman
The author investigates the remnants of the use of mind-altering plants in the earlier versions of Judaism.
It could show the process by which ancient practices have been replaced through time.

Abstract :
A speculative hypothesis is presented according to which
the ancient Israelite religion was associated with the use
of entheogens (mind-altering plants used in sacramental
contexts). The hypothesis is based on a new look at texts
of the Old Testament pertaining to the life of Moses. The
ideas entertained here were primarily based on the fact
that in the arid areas of the Sinai peninsula and Southern
Israel there grow two plants containing the same
psychoactive molecules found in the plants from which
the powerful Amazonian hallucinogenic brew Ayahuasca
is prepared. The two plants are species of Acacia tree and
the bush Peganum harmala. The hypothesis is corroborated
by comparative experiential-phenomenological
observations, linguistic considerations, exegesis of old
Jewish texts and other ancient Mideastern traditions,
anthropological lore, and ethnobotanical data.