Sep 5, 2019
Amanda and Sarah dabble in some all-natural mind and body-altering substances. Sarah takes a thorough dive into ergot poisoning, a condition caused by tainted rye bread that can lead to a long list of symptoms and is cited as one of the possible causes behind the Salem Witch Trials. Amanda goes foraging for magic mushrooms with a look at their history, and the roles they played in various cultures and beliefs. Other subjects covered include a rodent restraint and panty bins.
Recommendations:
Sarah recommends the 2018 film A Simple Favor. Amanda recommends the book The Familiars by Stacey Halls.
Sources:
Derm101 (EPIDEMIC ERGOTISM, ST. ANTHONY’S FIRE, AND JEWISH MYSTICISM)
University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Has Ergot Altered Events in World History?)
The history of ergot of rye (Claviceps purpurea) I: From antiquity to 1900
Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem?
Smithsonian.com (How Deadly Bread Bewitched a French
Village)
Mental Floss (When the French Village of Pont-Saint-Esprit Went Temporarily Mad)
The Guardian ('It makes me enjoy playing with the kids': is microdosing mushrooms going mainstream?)
Folger Shakespeare Library (“Excrements of the earth”: Mushrooms in early modern England)
New York Times (Jesus Christ as a crimson‐spotted fungus)
Live Science (8 Ways Magic Mushrooms Explain Santa Story)
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