The vomit coloured drink tasted about as great as it looked with a blend of yoghurt salt, pepper, rose water and various other spices. I consumed it slowly and eagerly anticipated the desired effect.
As the high began to take hold it was relaxing, calming and nice but as it progressed and the drink reached the bottom I began to feel light-headed and dizzy. Speaking became itself a challenge and standing up or walking seemed to be out of the question. The more the effects set in the more I realized that I had to gain to courage to get back to my hotel so that I could lie down and hopefully pass out.
What seemed like an eternity later, I reached my hotel room and lay down to see the world spinning around me. A long night of lucid dreams and hallucinations left me exhausted the following day and convinced that if I am ever to have a Bhang Lassi again it will definitely be the 'light' option.
For those who do not know, Bhang is a mild preparation of marijuana made from young leaves and stems of the Indian hemp plant, Cannabis sativa while a Lassi is a yoghurt drink flavoured with sugar, salt, mild spice or fruit.
Bhang lassis are widely available in South Asian countries at varying degrees of legality. In the Indian state of Rajasthan government licensed bhang shops sell the drug in a variety of forms including powders, drinks and baked goods.
Bhang has a long history in India and was first used as part of the Hindu rite in India around 1000 BC and is today an integral part of Hindu culture. The herb is devoted to Lord Shiva on Shivratri, a Hindu festival.
Sadhus and Sufis use Bhang to boost meditation and to achieve transcendental states. Bhang is widely consumed during the famous colourful festival of Holi.
Trying bhang in some form could be considered an essential part of any India trip. If you decide to try a bhang lassi then learn from my mistakes and start off with the mild variety
