I came across a somewhat amusing theory on the Salem Witch Trials. The theory speculates that people were being accused of witchcraft because those accused as witches had eaten rye that was contaminated with ergot blight, a poisonous and psychoactive fungus which can give symptoms similar to those of LSD. (LSD was discovered by a Swiss chemist who was experimenting with modifying ergot chemicals.^1,2)

Anyway, here is the article. Ha ha ha! Can you imagine a bunch of Puritans watching fellow Puritans stoned sky-high, tripping on acid (ergot baked in bread dough forms LSD³), prancing around in a forest talking to trees? Ah ha ha ha! Oh man, that is funny. It is also funny that, being a Puritan (also true for many other groups in society, past and present), what one does not understand or approve of, must be related to evil or the devil hence the witch trials. Silly, silly.

On another note, the Wikipedia article on ergot mentions that two commonly used Parkinson's drugs, Pergolide and Cabergoline, are derived from ergot. Our world is such an amusing place.