Ergot

Scientific Names

Claviceps purpurea L.
Fungus family

Common Names

Cockspur rye
Hornseed
Mother of rye
Smut rye
Spurred rye
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Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Ergot is a fungus which replaces the seeds of the rye plant (Secale cornatum). It takes the form of black or purplish-black, crooked grains or “spurs”, called sclerotia, about 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches long and 1/10 to 2/10 inch thick. It has a nauseous odor and a disagreeable taste.
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Where Found

Found on fungus infected rye plants.
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Medicinal Properties

Abortifacient, emmenagogue, hemostatic, oxytocic, vasoconstrictor
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Legends, Myths and Stories

As rye does not grow in China, true ergot is not found there.
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Uses

Medicinal preparations, such as ergotamine, are made from ergot; are useful in contracting the uterine muscles, particularly after delivery to prevent hemorrhage, and have also been used for menstrual difficulties. One ergot derivative, ergotamine tartrate, helps to relieve migraine headaches and cluster headaches by constricting the swollen blood vessels causing the pain. Ergot is also a source of LSD.
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Warning

Do not use without proper medical supervision.
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Bibliography

Chinese Medicinal Herbs, compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973.

The Nature Doctor, by Dr. H.C.A. Vogel; Keats Publishing, Inc., 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. Vogel, Teufen (AR) Switzerland 1952, 1991

Webster's New World Dictionary, Third College Edition, Victoria Neufeldt, Editor in Chief, New World Dictionaries: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc., 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023, 1984

Webster's New World Medical Dictionary, New World Dictionaries, 850 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, 1987.