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I think the explanation is: Ergot is a fungus the grows on grains, so maybe if you ate spoiled grain it could have had ergot on it?
Ergot is a kind of fungus that can infect cereal grains.
Ergot is the name of a toxic fungus that affects the rye plant.
Ergot is the common name of a fungus in the genus Claviceps that is parasitic on certain grains and grasses.
www.ergot.org