The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. During this time, the Puritans in the Salem Village grew increasingly paranoid about witchcraft and the influence of Satan, resulting in a hysteria that led to the execution of 20 people and the imprisonment of many others. While popular belief suggests that the accusations and subsequent trials were driven by a combination of religious fanaticism, socio-political tensions, and fear, some theorists have explored the possibility that psychedelics played a role in the hysteria. Psychedelics, such as ergot, have been suggested as a potential explanation for the bizarre behavior exhibited by the afflicted girls and the mass hysteria that engulfed the village. Ergot is a fungus that grows on rye and wheat, and contains compounds similar to LSD. Consumption of ergot-contaminated grains can lead to hallucinations, convulsions, and other symptoms associated with witchcraft at the time.

WATCH: This Hallucinogen Might Have Sparked The Salem Witch Trials

Between February 1692 and May 1693, more than 19 people were executed in Salem, Massachusetts, for being suspected witches.

As you probably know, this odd moment in US history became widely known as the Salem witch trials, which saw a small puritan town collectively lose its mind after a series of young girls reportedly suffered attacks from 'supernatural beings'.

Many of these attacks were reported by other villagers, who saw people start to shake, experience pain, fainting spells, and just act plain weird in ways that couldn't be explained by the doctors of the time. The strange symptoms caused panic among the masses, who ended up blaming witchcraft.

While a number of researchers have weighed in on what happened in the town, with many of them marking up the event as a case of mass hysteria, political manoeuvring, or the town's weighty puritan belief system gone wrong, there might be a more evidence-based reason for why the town experienced such 'attacks'.

As the Vox video above reports, the Salem witch trials might have had more to do with an hallucinogenic fungus found on rye than any other explanation.

This weird fungus, Claviceps purpurea, is a type of ergot fungus, and was commonly found on rye grain at the time of the Salem witch trials.

As Vox explains, when the fungus is ingested, it can cause ergotism: a condition that can either be gangrenous, causing limbs and extremities to fall off; or compulsive, causing seizures, pain, and a slew of other upsetting symptoms that match the behaviour the townsfolk blamed witchcraft for.

Oh, and ergot is also one of the ingredients needed to synthesise a little hallucinogen known as LSD.

Sometimes the consumption of the fungus on its own can cause hallucinogenic effects, which could explain why some people claimed to have seen witches, ghosts, and other unexplained phenomena, back in Salem.

This hypothesis is backed up by the fact that the region experienced a rather stormy summer the year the witch hunts began, providing the ideal conditions for the fungus to flourish on their rye supplies.

In 1693, a drought hit the region, potentially ending the fungus's reign and curbing the witch hunts.

For now this is just a hypothesis, and other researchers have argued that the population of Salem at the time were likely too healthy to have such a bad reaction to ergotism, suggesting that the witch hunts were more likely a social craze that ran amok.

Look no further than this year's clown panic to see a modern day example of how that can happen.

In reality, both might have played some part, although we still need more evidence to figure out how that would have worked.

Check out the video above to learn more about ergot, and how it might have triggered one of the strangest periods in US history.

Were the Salem “Witches” High on Psychedelics?

During a cold, wet New England winter in 1692, something peculiar began to happen. In the town of Salem, which sits on the Massachusetts coastline about 16 miles north of Boston, people started acting strangely. Specifically – young women. Two of them in particular; the 9 year old daughter & the 11 year old niece of a prominent Reverend, began having fits. They threw tantrums, made bizarre noises, contorted their bodies in odd ways…they were incoherent. The puritanical town of Salem immediately suspected they were possessed by something supernatural. Under pressure from local magistrates – the two young girls blamed three women for ‘afflicting’ them – a Caribbean slave, a homeless beggar and an elderly impoverished woman. All three women were put in jail. The Salem Witch Trials had begun.

Over the next 12 months, mass hysteria would engulf this dreary seaside town. Odd behavior, most prominently (but not exclusively) among young women, continued. Neighbors turned on each other. The quickest way to deny being a witch was to turn one in…regardless of having any evidence to support your claim. Nearly 200 people were accused of practicing ‘the Devil’s magic’. Of those, 20 were executed. 19 were hung in the gallows, and in one particular display of cruelty – a 71 year old man was executed by being pressed to death with heavy stones. It wasn’t until the Governor of Salem’s wife was questioned for witchcraft that the trials & executions stopped.

What could have caused these women to behave in such a bizarre way? This was a religious town. They feared God & lived by a strict moral code. This would be the last place on earth one would expect to find young women acting so erratically. Could it have been a supernatural occurrence? Or just a religious panic? No.

The answer lies in a grain fungus called Ergot. Ergot is incredibly similar to LSD. Unlike LSD, however, there are no good trips on Ergot…only bad ones. The consumption of Ergot results in mania, delirium, paranoia, troubling visions, convulsions & troubled speech (sound familiar?). And, Ergot thrives in wet, cold years…which 1692 in Salem was. Lastly – women, especially young women, are more susceptible to Ergotism (the sickness that is the result of consuming Ergot). The people of Salem had no idea that the peculiar behavior emanating from its citizens was the result of digesting a powerful hallucinogenic. So they assumed it was the Devil’s work & persecuted folks accordingly.

In the years following the infamous trials & executions – apologies were made, the trials were classified as unlawful and those who were wrongly accused of witchcraft have had their names restored. Far from reciprocity, but an acknowledgement of wrongdoing nonetheless.

The Salem Witch Trials provide a relevant cautionary tale for the modern world. The Psychedelic Renaissance is in full swing…more & more people will be taking Psychedelics in the coming years. A rise in the popularity of these medicines will coincide with a rise in the risks they pose. To the people of Salem – the effects of consuming Ergot were so severe that some type of sorcery must have been involved. LSD, 5-MeO-DMT & Ayahuasca all take you on a journey to altered states of consciousness, and one can never be sure what is lurking there. We would be wise to heed the lessons of Salem. Psychedelics offer so much good – love, empathy, kindness, a connection with nature…but they aren’t without risks. We should always give these medicines the respect they deserve by taking them under the supervision of a Shaman or Therapist, with a clear intention, in the right headspace.

Andrew M. Weisse is a tech executive, fitness addict, psychedelic traveler and a proponent of consciousness expansion. This post originally appeared on The Psychedelic Blog’s Substack. It’s free to subscribe.

Did HALLUCINOGENS spark the Salem witch trials? Experts say locals may have eaten bread contaminated with a fungus found in LSD

The Salem witch trials began when a group of young girls claimed they were attacked by 'supernatural beings' sent by villagers who practiced 'the Devil's magic'. However, scientists claims that that rye grown in Salem had been contaminated with a type of fungus found in LSD that causes people to experience seizures, pain and hallucinations. This, they claim, could be the real reason for the bizarre claims, and the death of the 20 executed between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts for being witches. Scroll down for video

Twenty people were executed between 1692 and 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts under the suspicion of being witches. The Salem witch trials began when a group of young girls claimed they attacked by 'supernatural beings' sent by other villagers

WAS IT HALLUCINOGENS?

Linnda Caporael, a behavioral scientist, reopened the Salem witch trials and believes the entire fiasco could be a result of tainted rye. It's said that a fungus, called ergot, contaminated the rye. This crop was used in bread for the community and was found to have affect them during the summer prior to the trials. 'The psychedelic hallucinogen LSD was first made using an extract that was isolated from ergot,' Caporael explains. 'But when eaten, the cocktail of poisonous neurotoxins and hallucinogens found in ergot-infected grain can result in a 'bad trip' – ergot poisoning leads to convulsive fits, vomiting, prickling sensations under the skin, and hallucinations.' The girls complained about grievous torment in the bowels, pain in the belly, pinching and pricking on the skin and unexplainable choking when they accused people of witchcraft.

The strange events began in February 1692, when Reverend Parris' daughter Elizabeth, who was 9 years old, and niece Abigail Williams, age 11, began having 'epileptic fits', reportsThe Smithsonian. And shortly after, more young girls in the town began experiencing the same symptoms. These girls would shake uncontrollably, scream in pain and unexpectedly faint. The behavior caused hysteria throughout the community and when confronted about their actions, the girls claimed they were being attacked by villagers using 'the Devil's magic'. Although many now believe the girls claims were nothing more than a hoax, one behavioural scientist believes otherwise. In 1976, Linnda Caporael, currently at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, discovered that during the summer of 1691, Salem experienced a rainy period that caused a type of fungus, called ergot, to grown on the rye – a staple crop for the community. 'Since ergot prefers wet conditions, this weather pattern could have set the stage for a rye crop that was heavily infected with the fungus,' Caporael wrote in the study.

Consumption of ergot-contaminated grains can lead to hallucinations, convulsions, and other symptoms associated with witchcraft at the time. Furthermore, the consumption of another psychedelic substance, such as the hallucinogenic properties of certain plants, may have also contributed to the delusions and visions experienced by the afflicted girls. Some researchers argue that the use of these substances could have been accidental, as the villagers were known to consume a variety of plants for medicinal and spiritual purposes.

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However, it is important to note that the use of psychedelics as an explanation for the Salem witch trials is highly speculative, with limited evidence to support these claims. The trials were deeply rooted in the religious and cultural context of the time, with beliefs in witchcraft and the supernatural playing a significant role in shaping the accusations and subsequent legal proceedings. Nonetheless, the idea of psychedelics influencing the events of the Salem witch trials adds an additional layer of complexity to our understanding of this dark chapter in history. It highlights the potential impact of mind-altering substances on human behavior and may serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of mass hysteria and unfounded accusations..

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The Witch's Brew: An Investigation into Psychedelic Substances in Salem