ERGOT
the story of Claviceps:
from the occult to the scientific
Claviceps, particularly the most well-known Claviceps purpurea, is the common cause of ergotism. Because of the psychotropic properties of the toxins it produces, symptoms following ingestion include convulsions and hallucinations. Consumption of contaminated rye is therefore thought to be associated with the seemingly occult phenomena of the Middle Ages: St. Anthony’s Fire, the Salem Witch Trials and the Great Fear during the French Revolution [16]. There is even evidence to suggest that it was used as a ritual drink in the fertility cults and the ceremonial festivities of Ancient Greece. Later, the same toxins - now known as ergot alkaloids - were isolated and their structure formed the basis of research into psychedelic compounds - namely LSD. Today, it causes major losses in crop yield and agricultural production.
Claviceps has nevertheless found a place in the industrial and pharmaceutical landscape of history. As early as the 1500s physicians used it as a drug to induce uterine contractions and facilitate childbirth, although not without ill effects [5]. In the 1920s it was marketed as therapeutic to treat migraines. Amidst a flourishing era of ergot alkaloid discovery, extensive progress was made in scientific methods such as fermentation and the identification of chemical structures.
Claviceps:
A dual nature
. . . I must confess to a measure of doubt as to the moving causes in this terrible tragedy. It seems impossible to believe a tithe of the statements which were made at the trials. And yet it is equally difficult to say that nine out of every ten of the men, women, and children who testified upon their oaths, intentionally and wilfully falsified. Nor does it seem possible that they did, or could invent all these marvelous tales…"
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Testimony from the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 [2]
Claviceps, known by its common name ergot [aer-got], is an ancient parasitic eukaryote with origins dating back to over 100 million years [12]. Its eerie appearance as blackened spurs on the ears of rye and other agriculturally important grains reflects a dark yet industrially transformative history.