Ergot
Pronunciation:UR-guht
Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number:12126-57-7
Formal Names:Claviceps purpurea
Informal Names:Cockspur Rye, Hornseed, Mother of Rye, Muttercorn, Smut Rye,
Spur Kernels, Spurred Rye
Type:Hallucinogen.Seepage 25
Federal Schedule Listing:Unlisted
USA Availability:Nonprescription natural product
Pregnancy Category:None
Uses.The history of ergot is composed of madness and disfiguring disease
but might still be an obscure footnote to medicine except for the discovery of
a related chemical in the 1930s calledLSD. That link brought modern attention
to a normally inconspicuous natural product. Ergot comes from a rather fishy-
smelling fungus growing on improperly stored grain (typically rye). In cool
and damp conditions ergot is also found on various grains and grasses in the
field. This happens around the world; in the 1990s Iowa’s barley crop suffered
infection. Ergot chemicals are also found inmorning gloryseeds. Although
ergot is typically an unwanted contamination in grain, sometimes the fungus
is deliberately cultivated to be harvested for pharmaceutical purposes.
Ergot is a traditional treatment to reduce menstrual blood flow and bleeding
after childbirth. The substance promotes contractions of the uterus, and the
raw product has been used for centuries as an aid to birthing. Unskilled ad-
ministration, however, can rupture the uterus. In more recent times ergono-
vine (CAS RN 129-51-1) has been isolated from ergot as the active chemical
for promoting childbearing. Chemicals from ergot can induce abortions in
cows and sheep, but reports conflict on whether ergot has this effect on hu-
mans. One authority notes that such attempted use can kill the pregnant
woman. Ergot preparations are still used as a fallback if no other drug pro-
vides sufficient aid in childbirth, but they are generally avoided in modern
obstetrics.
Ergotamine, a substance derived from ergot, is used to treat migraine head-
ache. Raw ergot is not used for that purpose because the unprocessed natural
product would have too many unwanted effects, making the headache cure
worse than the disease. Ergot chemicals have also been used to treat meno-