A well-documented fungal infection called Ergot ran rampant throughout the rye and bread storages of Medieval England and the rest of Europe several times during the Middle Ages. While it was for the most part relatively harmless, it had a curious property: any bread that was contaminated with the infection could actually cause delusions, muscle spasms and several other symptoms – some pleasurable, some painful. Historians have theorised that Ergot-induced symptoms may have been responsible for several bizarre happenings throughout the Middle Ages.
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