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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture >I believe it's still prescribed (in small doses of course) for >migraine headaches -- certainly it has been within recent memory. It >works for some people, and has the virtue of being cheaper than some >of the more modern stuff. Once was enough for me to try it, though -- >it made me so dizzy I couldn't stand up. I was even dizzy lying flat >on my back. No interesting visions, though! <grin> For years, the standard treatment for migraines was ergotamine. My mother and I both suffer from them, though she much worse than I. When I was taking chemistry in college, I found out from my professor that ergotamine is basically an oxygen atom away from being LSD, which could be termed ergotamide (an amine is an -NH2 bonded to a hydrocarbon; an amide is an amine bonded to a carbon which in turn is double-bonded to an oxygen). Though I've never taken ergotamine, when I told my professor that my (dedidedly anti-drug) mother took it quite regularly, he chuckled and told me to ask her if she experienced any low-grade color resolution. Back to topic, wasn't ergotism the cause of the mass hysteria at Loudun (Loudon?), which became the subject of an Aldous Huxley book and later a Ken Russell film? Also, I've read references to "crazy bread," which was taken at festivals, though I don't know how much of the latter is based on fact. Do any of you know anything further on this? -Mariano _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html