Salem witch trails and fungus

Answer 1

One theory that attempts to explain the affliction states the the particularly damp fall allowed Ergot fungus to grow on the wheat and rye that would feed Salem over the winter, when the afflictions began. Ingesting Ergot causes Ergotism, the symptoms of which included hallucinations and stiffness in the limbs.

It is hard to validate this theory, seeing as if it was a fungus on grain, the affliction would have sprung up in entire households and not sporadically with one of two people from each house.

Answer 2

The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts in 1692. Fungi are a diverse group of microorganisms that play important roles in the environment, from decomposition to food production. There is no direct connection between the Salem witch trials and fungi.