Ergot (/ˈɜːrɡət/) or ergot fungi refers to a group of fungi of the genus Claviceps.
The most prominent member of this group is Claviceps purpurea ("rye ergot fungus"). This fungus grows on rye and related plants, and produces alkaloids that can cause ergotism in humans and other mammals who consume grains contaminated with its fruiting structure (called ergot sclerotium).
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German Lysergsäurediethylamid) and by the slang names acid and lucy, is a semisynthetic hallucinogenic drug derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. It was historically used in psychiatry and 1960s counterculture; it is currently legally restricted but experiencing renewed scientific interest and increasing use.
When taken orally, LSD has an onset of action within 0.4 to 1.0 hours (range: 0.1–1.8 hours) and a duration of effect lasting 7 to 12 hours (range: 4–22 hours). It is commonly administered via tabs of blotter paper. LSD is extremely potent, with noticeable effects at doses as low as 20 micrograms and is sometimes taken in much smaller amounts for microdosing. Despite widespread use, no fatal human overdoses have been documented. LSD is mainly used recreationally or for spiritual purposes. LSD can cause mystical experiences. LSD exerts its effects primarily through high-affinity binding to several serotonin receptors, especially 5-HT2A, and to a lesser extent dopaminergic and adrenergic receptors. LSD reduces oscillatory power in the brain's default mode network and flattens brain hierarchy. At higher doses, it can induce visual and auditory hallucinations, ego dissolution, and anxiety. LSD use can cause adverse psychological effects such as paranoia and delusions and may lead to persistent visual disturbances known as hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD).
In mycology, a stipe (/staɪp/) is the stem or stalk-like feature supporting the cap of a mushroom. Like all tissues of the mushroom other than the hymenium, the stipe is composed of sterile hyphal tissue. In many instances, however, the fertile hymenium extends down the stipe some distance. Fungi that have stipes are said to be stipitate.
The evolutionary benefit of a stipe is generally considered to be in mediating spore dispersal. An elevated mushroom will more easily release its spores into wind currents or onto passing animals. Nevertheless, many mushrooms do not have stipes, including cup fungi, puffballs, earthstars, some polypores, jelly fungi, ergots, and smuts.
Ethnomycology is the study of the historical uses and sociological impact of fungi and can be considered a subfield of ethnobotany or ethnobiology. Although in theory the term includes fungi used for such purposes as tinder, medicine (medicinal mushrooms) and food (including yeast), it is often used in the context of the study of psychoactive mushrooms such as psilocybin mushrooms, the Amanita muscaria mushroom, and the ergot fungus.
American banker Robert Gordon Wasson pioneered interest in this field of study in the late 1950s, when he and his wife became the first Westerners on record allowed to participate in a mushroom velada, held by the Mazatec curandera María Sabina. The biologist Richard Evans Schultes is also considered an ethnomycological pioneer. Later researchers in the field include Albert Hofmann, Ralph Metzner, Carl Ruck, Blaise Daniel Staples, Giorgio Samorini, Keewaydinoquay Peschel, John W. Allen, Jonathan Ott, Paul Stamets, and Juan Camilo Rodríguez Martínez.
A mycotoxin (from the Greek μύκης mykes, "fungus" and τοξικός toxikos, "poisonous") is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by fungi and is capable of causing disease and death in both humans and other animals. The term 'mycotoxin' is usually reserved for the toxic chemical products produced by fungi that readily colonize crops.
Examples of mycotoxins causing human and animal illness include aflatoxin, citrinin, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, patulin, trichothecenes, zearalenone, and ergot alkaloids such as ergotamine.