Wheat Fungus & Hallucinations

For hundreds of years, wheat fungus has devastated crops and caused a form of poisoning called ergot. It was particularly widespread in Europe and also affects wheat elsewhere. One of the effects of this fungal poisoning is hallucination.

Identification

Claviceps purpurea is the fungus that leads to ergot hallucinations. It affects wheat and similar plants, discoloring them and causing them to ooze a yellow sap.

Hallucinogenic Component

Wheat affected with this fungus will house a number of ergot alkaloids. Of these, lysergic acid--what the drug LSD is derived from--causes hallucinations.

Additional Symptoms

In addition to hallucinations, ergot poisoning from infected wheat causes muscle spasms, vomiting, delusions and a crawling sensation on the skin.

History

The first record of ergot poisoning was in Chinese writings from 1100. Since then, hallucinations related to wheat fungus have popped up in Greece, Europe during the Middle Ages and Colonial America through current times.

Famous Ties

Hallucinations from wheat fungus have been attributed to the sickness that led to the Salem witch trials as well as the behavior of Caliban, a character in Shakespeare's "The Tempest."

References

• North Dakota State University: Ergot
• PBS Secrets of the Dead: Ergot Poisoning
• American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education: Ergot and its Alkaloids