It is a Traditional Khalsa drink made up of almonds, black pepper, sugar, water, rose petals, cardamoms and cannabis. Some Sikhs drink it regularly and some say it’s a traditional medicine.
Views of regular Drinkers:
It is a good healthy drink, having it at breakfast helps set you up for the rest of the day.
It helps you concentrate in every task you do.
We use a moderated (safe) amount of cannabis; therefore we don’t see it as intoxication.
Views of others:
Yeah it is a healthy drink due to high protein content. But the fact it has high protein content is because it was used as a pain killer and wound healer to cure injuries of Sikh soldiers wounded in battle. Hence its other name Sukhnidhan (pain reliever)
Cannabis slows down the nervous system, and makes you dopey. That’s why every thing moves slower making you feel as if your concentration has improved.
Does it matter how much off an intoxicant you consume, that’s like saying I only had a few drops of wine today? But in principle I still consumed an intoxicant for no logical reason.
Yeah at times you may need to take an intoxicant as remedy, but that is seen as medication. But regular drinking is indulging in worldly pleasures.
A Sikh should be intoxicated by Gurbani. A really devoted Sikh can go threw any torture without feeling any pain. Shaheed Bhai Mani Singh Got chopped limb by limb without showing any sign of pain, he was merged in Gurbani.
Conclusion:
Gurbani is against intoxication for pleasure or a buzz. I guess Shaheedi degh made a good medicine in olden days due to Sikhs being in constant war and living in jungles. You could say it is a purer pain killer then the drugs we get these days. But the Sikhs used to get their arms chopped off, shot and slashed, that’s when they took this medicine, in order to get stitches or take the arrow or bullet out. A Sikh should see worldly buzzes as being poison. Shaheedi Degh is a khalsa tradition and it should be passed down for knowledge because you never know when you will need this medicine, but these days people have put their own twist into Sikhi and misused this medicine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSn05JHYjYI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G8d3GZMabY&feature=related