A scientific study shows that poisoning from ergot, a common wheat fungus, may be responsible for the terrible events of 1692. This poison grows on rye, the main crop of Salem, and thrives in warm, humid places. These exact conditions were present in 1691. Ergot is the active ingredient in LSD, a hallucinogenic drug, which would explain the violent spasms, vomiting, delusions, and many of the other symptoms exhibited by the afflicted girls (Clues and Evidence). Ergot poisoning may explain the abrupt end to the “spells” as the following year there was a drought that prevented the poison from thriving (The Salem Journal: The