Claviceps purpurea Ergot
Poisoning by C. purpurea (ergotism) has been recorded since the Middle Ages. Outbreaks were so sudden and inexplicable that many myths and superstitions grew up around the affliction, which was widely believed to be divine punishment on sinners. Such were the beliefs and symptoms of the disease that for centuries, it was commonly known as Holy Fire. The connection between ergotism and grain infected by C. purpurea was only fully realized this century. Pharmacological analysis of the sclerotia revealed a mixture of powerful chemicals, among them compounds related to LSD. Even before the complexity of ergot’s chemistry was understood, it was widely used for centuries by midwives to stimulate contractions and so aid childbirth. The crude drug is dangerous due to its many components and their side effects, however, the purified derivatives are now used in medicine in the treatment of migraine and other disorders as well as in obstetrics.
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Keywords: claviceps, corn, crop, du, ergo, ergot, farming, fungi, fungus, grain, lsd, medicine, migraine, mushroom, mutterkorn, mycology, nature, poison, poisonous, purpurea, seigle
