Rye Horn

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Rye horn / Claviceps purpurea / is a poisonous fungus of the family Hypocreaceae, growing as a parasite on the pistil of some cereals, mainly on rye, whence its name.

It is also known as purple horn, horn, horn head, cornea or leech, because those poisoned by it feel drunk. Rye horn has a spindle-shaped structure and reaches a length of 1 cm. The color of the mushroom is purple to red. Rye horn has three stages of development.

Until 50-60 years ago, rye horn was found in mountainous areas with rye, but with the advancement of agricultural technology, the fungus almost disappeared from crops. Thus, artificial cultivation of rye horn began in our country. Cultivated drugs are also grown in Russia, Portugal, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Ecuador and others.

History of the rye horn

In the Middle Ages, there were epidemics among humans and animals caused by bread produced with rye-infected cereals. These epidemics are characterized by dizziness, nervous disorder, seizures throughout the body, circulatory disorders. They are called "Fire of St. Anthony "or" Sacred Fire) "- the so-called today ergotism / food disease, a type of mycotoxicosis caused by the use of food products from grains that contain the alkaloids ergometrine, ergotamine /

In the 20th century, the Swiss chemist Albert Hoffmann argued that barley or rye contaminated with rye horn was used in the sacred drink (keukon) in the ancient Eleusinian mysteries, which caused hallucinations in the initiates.

Composition of rye horn

In the content of rye horn include the alkaloids ergotamine, ergotamine, ergocorninine, ergometrine (ergobazin), ergometrinin (ergobazinin). An integral part of the alkaloids listed so far is lysergic and isolysergic acid.

The following alkaloid groups of clavina were also isolated: peniclavin, costaclavin, hanoclavin (secaclavin), "clavin 68", agroclavine and elimoclavin, which in the cultured drug are only in traces.

In addition to alkaloids, ergosterol (0.10%) was isolated from the fungus, which is converted to vitamin D2 upon irradiation, as well as the amines tyramine, histamine and agmatine; the alkylamines trimethylamine, methylamine and hexylamine; the amino acids asparagine, deer, valine, leucine and phenylalanine.

The rye horn also contains other nitrogen-containing compounds such as betaine, choline, acetylcholine, ergothioxin, ergothioneine, uracil and others. The ballast components of the herb include: fatty oil (up to 40%), lactic acid, sugars, phytosterol, ergosterol and other sterols, dyes (yellow and red) and others.

Collection and storage of rye horn

Rye horns are picked by hand on the spot when the rye ripens. They should be picked early in the morning while there is still moisture, which to some extent retains the horns of the class.

However, this method of harvesting is unfavorable for crops, it is quite difficult and unprofitable. It is most suitable for the collection of mushrooms to be mechanized with special machines or, in extreme cases, by sifting and sifting the rye during threshing or during the winter months.

The collected material, although it looks dry, must be dried in a dryer or in the shade in ventilated rooms. It is spread in a thin layer on frames or mats, stirring occasionally with a shovel.

It has been proven that the most effective drying of the herb is obtained by spreading it in a thin layer in an oven at a temperature of 60 degrees in a stream of heated air. Sun drying is not recommended, and drying at temperatures above 60 degrees has a negative effect on quality. The drug is well dried when the horns are broken when folded.

From 1.1 - 1.2 kg of fresh horns 1 kg of dry ones is obtained. Dried rye horns are oblong, almost cylindrical, slightly curved at both ends, violet-black on the outside, white or yellowish-white on the inside, with a narrow purple stripe on the periphery, sometimes with a gray, easily erased deposit.

The fracture is flat. The smell is similar to that of mushrooms, and the taste - oily, sweet. Hornbeams that smell of rancid oil or ammonia are unusable.

Because the drug is poisonous, it should be kept in a dry, ventilated and dark place, away from non-poisonous herbs. It is advisable to check the herb more often because it can easily absorb moisture, which can create conditions for decomposition, and it can also be attacked by insects.

Dried drugs should not be stored for a long time. It is most recommended to keep rye horns over drying substances at a temperature of 2 degrees, in the dark in hermetically sealed containers.

Benefits of rye horn

The rye horn contains substances that have miraculous and healing properties. The modern pharmaceutical industry produces numerous medicinal preparations from ergot sclerotia, which are used successfully in the treatment of various diseases.

The drug has a successful effect on neuroses, to enhance uterine contractions, to stop uterine bleeding. The fungus also helps with basal disease, thyrotoxicosis and others. Rye horn acts as a sedative for migraines, headaches and more. Ergot, which is contained in the plant, enhances the contraction of the uterus after the placenta, and sometimes helps with bleeding from other organs.

The rye horn It is also used for mild diarrhea and initial stages of cataracts. In Bulgarian folk medicine it is used against white flow, weak aortic valves, paralysis, poor blood circulation, hemoptysis and insensitivity.

Folk medicine with rye horn

The hard part of the rye horn is used for medical purposes. Bulgarian folk medicine recommends the fungus as a remedy for paralysis of the legs, neuralgia, diabetes, high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, headache and more.

Prepare a decoction of rye hornby soaking 1 teaspoon of crushed herb in 300 ml of boiling water. The liquid is filtered and taken one tablespoon three times a day before meals.

LSD / Dieserylamide of lysergic acid /

While experimenting with ergot in search of a hemostatic agent, Swiss chemist Albert Hoffmann discovered the psychoactive properties of the alkaloid ergotamine. Shortly afterwards, Hoffman synthesized LSD.

By studying various derivatives of lysergic acid contained in ergot, in 1938 he succeeded in synthesizing LSD-25, which has a promising future as a respiratory and circulatory stimulant.

But his work in this direction lags behind and the chemist resumed it only five years later, when he re-synthesized LSD. Inadvertently, in the laboratory, Hoffman touches the substance with his fingers and a small part of it is absorbed through his skin. In this way, he discovered its hallucinogenic effect quite by accident.

Only three days later, on April 19, 1943, Albert Hoffman consciously took 250 micrograms of the substance and experienced a stronger effect. Subsequently, numerous experiments with LSD were conducted with the participation of Hoffman himself and his colleagues. The first recordings of these experiments were made on April 22 of that year.

A few years later, Hoffman successfully synthesized another psychoactive substance - psilocybin, which is found in nature in the "magic mushrooms" used by the Aztecs and other ancient peoples to perform occult rituals. Its action is similar to that of LSD, but weaker.

Harm from rye horn

The rye horn should only be used after a doctor's prescription and control. The fungus is highly poisonous and should not be used at home. Taking rye horn in large doses can cause kidney damage, heart failure and even death.