The Spooky Story of Secale and the Salem Witch Trials

In 1692, the quiet Puritan settlement of Salem, Massachusetts, descended into madness when its residents suddenly began accusing each other of witchcraft. This became known as the Salem Witch Trials, the largest witchhunt in America.

But did you know that one theory behind this dark and tragic story is that the madness and hysteria were due to ergotism?

And did you know that the homeopathic remedy Secale Cornutum is Ergot of Rye? A hallucinogenic fungus and the cause of ergotism (the remedy is made from infected, black, hornlike spurs on the heads of rye).

The remedy picture looks very similar to ergot poisoning and mirrors many of the bizarre symptoms of ‘bewitchment’.

Rye is prone to ergot disease when grown in periods of wet weather and damp, ill-drained soil. The flowers go through a honeydew phase, oozing a shiny, sticky fluid that’s filled with ergot spores that spread through the crop.

If breeding cows graze on infected pastures, they’re likely to miscarry. From ancient times, ergot has also been known to hasten childbirth.

In 1692 in Salem, the weather conditions were perfect for an outbreak of ergot of rye. The following year was dryer, which may explain how the trials blew over as suddenly as they began, with Salem coming to its senses and life carrying on.

Rye was a staple food in Central Europe and America from the 14th to 18th centuries.  Historically, outbreaks of witchcraft were often accompanied by symptoms of ergotism – gangrene, convulsions, hallucinations, and exhausting haemorrhages or discharges like vomiting and diarrhoea.

Symptoms of someone needing Secale can include restlessness and attacks of excitement. They can be shameless, mocking and sarcastically laughing. They may have delusions where the devil demands they give up their faith. There is burning heat, crawling, biting skin and a desire to uncover.

Boils filled with green pus and carbuncles cover the body, with a sunken distorted face, twisted neck, and eyes gone awry. One prover of Secale developed a crop of boils on their right side, right up to the nape of their neck. One on the cheek about the angle of the jaw was large, painful and slow to mature. It eventually exuded green pus.

This conjures a traditional witch-like picture with purplish, green hues to the skin, boils on the face and wizened, sunken, contorted features.

Salem was peculiar, the worst outbreak of witch persecution in American history. Many of the symptoms they classed as bewitchment mimicked those of ergotism.

While we may never know for sure what caused this insanity, this is a curious, fascinating and very sad tale.