Ergonovine (lysergic acid proponolamide) or ergometrine is the only water soluble alkaloid in claviceps purpurea besides trace amounts of LSA which infects rye, wheat, barley, etc. See the middle of the book "LSD, my problem child" by Hofmann for a color illustration of the molecule.

Albert Hofmann:

We analyzed Ergot  of wheat and barley in our lab and they were found to contain basically the same alkaloids as Ergot  of rye , viz alkaloids of the ergotamine (vasoconstrictor used for migraine prevention) and erogotoxine(toxic) group, substantial amounts of ergonovine (lysergic acid propanolamide) and sometimes traces of lysergic acid amide(LSA), As I said before, ergonovine and lysergic acid amide, both psychoactive, are soluble in water whereas the other (toxic) alkaloids are not.

From "The Road to Eleusis":

A notorious scandal was uncovered in the classical age, when it was discovered that numerous aristocratic Athenians had been celebrating the Mystery at home with groups of drunken guests at dinner parties....there were physical symptoms that accompanied the vision: Fear & Trembling in the limbs, vertigo, nausea, and a cold sweat. Then there came the visions.....there was a sacred Rarian plain adjacent to Eleusis--that may have served as a source of ergot....It was Demeter's sacred barley, grown in the Rarian plain (next to Eleusis) that was the principle ingredient in the potion drunk by the initiates in preparation for the culminating vision. The formula for that potion is recorded in the Homeric hymn. In addition to the barley, it contained water and a fragrant mint called blechon (pennyroyal or a type of water mint was used). The grain was mixed with mint and water in urns, from which the sacred potion was then ladled into special cups for the initiates to drink their share.....lines 22 to 26 of the hymn have been lost. They may have contained further instructions for the drink and may have been destroyed intentionally.

Friend had said:

Just an FYI, ergot season is comin' up. The sclerotia are stimulated to germinate by an extended cold and wet period, where they then release spores which infect new grasses. They then pop out more sclerotia. So, the best times to hunt for fresh sclerotia are probably late fall and early spring in temperate zones. I will probably be taking a lot of walks around organic farms and grassy fields for the next month or 3! :devil:  

*** maybe the sacred brew had nothing to do with adducts...as a medical paper i read on-line states that the vasoconstriction produced by nicotine is blocked completely when the ratio of menthol to nicotine is 40 to 80....is it possible menthol can block the vasoconstriction induced by ergonovine? ergonovine causes closed eye visuals, spinning geometry, etc. at the 7.5 to 10mg dose, the only problem is the debilitating vasoconstriction side effect caused by the vasoconstriction. L-menthol makes up 41 to 52 percent of mint leaf. why was mint added to the sacred brew? did it serve some sort of purpose in controlling vasoconstriction? why is mint constantly overlooked by all the psychedelic researchers even though it was an important ingredient in the brew? when SWIM  long ago had drank a water extract of mg seeds along with several drops of peppermint, SWIM  remembers a cooling and intriguing tingling sensation along the skin, weird. Could any of this be related to the ancient famous Indian SOMA written about in their own hymns? if i remember correctly, soma was made from the juice which was squeezed out of some plant, could it have been water mixed with Ergot , then squeezed in a cloth to release only the water solution, the so-called "juice"? who knows...some ancient tradition had even referred to "wheat" as the forbidden fruit, perhaps it was infected wheat.

Abstract

l-Menthol in Propylene glycol produces a fall in blood pressure of cats and rabbits when administered i.v. in dosages of 0.25 mg./Kg. and above. When mixtures of l-menthol in propylene glycol and nicotine are administered i. v. to cats and rabbits the vasoconstriction produced by nicotine is blocked completely when the ratio of menthol to nicotine is 40 to 80. The degree of vasoconstriction is decreased 10 to 60 per cent when the ratio of menthol to nicotine is 6 to 20.

Menthol is also a mild antispasmodic which makes it useful for relieving menstrual cramps and nausea. It is also a mild vasodilator, creating a warm or flushed feeling by stimulating circulation.

b.c's ice cold water extract of "the deadly" 1.75g claviceps purpurea from the Tahoma mountain range: the Ergot was ground in a sort of rock based mortar and pestal by moonlight only, then soaked/mixed with ice cold water for about 2 to 3 hours, then filtered thru a coffee filter to leave the bulk material behind: there is no doubt in my mind that what he was experiencing was the effects of the water soluble ergonovine (the only major water soluble alkaloid in the fungus, as it contains only traces of the water soluble lsa), the other toxic alkaloids in the Ergot fungus are non-water soluble.

B.C. the feline:

The feline found that the cold water potion, absorbed VERY quickly, within less than 30 seconds effects could be felt. The vascioconstriction was very apparent so the feline said, but not at all unpleasent . That was the first effect felt , followed shortly by the onset of beautiful closed eyed visuals ( so the feline said ) and then shortly after the open eyed visuals began, after each sip the feline found that the experience progressed over the course of a half hour or so.

The feline experienced very mild nausea, nothing notable at all in comparison to the snakevines ( Ipomoea , rivea etc ) The feline found that the coldwater potion had little to no taste what so ever, and did not induce a gag reflex.

After the entirety of the potion had been consumed by the feline, he sat back to experience it in its full glory, and truely glorious he found it to be.

While snakevines induce in felines ( and humans ) very beautiful experiences, they also induce somewhat of a ' drunken ' state , that is one looses a great deal of physical / mental co ordination when the dosage range is aproached where the visuals become quite intense. The feline found this to be entirely different. There seemed to be little to no loss in physical / mental co ordination, The feline felt for all practical purposes sober, but were it not for the bells, whistles, and wind in his ears, singing and talking ( he heard many voices ) and the absolute most radiant, and vibrant splashes of colors before the felines eyes, With his eyes opened, he experienced such beautiful visions, that he could not recall a experience where closed eyed visuals even approached the vividness. This was barnone the most visual experience of the felines life , and he had, in the course of wandring fields, consumed hefty dosages of 'godflesh' in times past , one species in perticular noted for vivid visions , the feline found this to be far more intense.

While he said he felt nearly sober the entire duration of the beautiful and powerful experience, he also experienced some extreamly profound things while he allowed his body to be completely stationary , and still. With his eyes closed, the feline experienced such profound rapture, meows failed to describe it, and words dont do a better job. There were times the feline thought he may have died , and steped through to the otherside, only to tell himself to open his eyes, and look around. And find that his body felt fine, his mind felt fine, but he was still enraptured in prisims of light. After several rounds of this , the feline resolved to not concern himself, he was not dying, and he finaly realised this, and simply alowed himself to experience the rapture. And to say anymore then ' He steped through the other side ' In such a complete and lucid way, really to say more does no good. No Meows No Words to describe it. Besides perhaps , Enraptured.

The feline finaly decided to allow himself some sleep as the experience was winding down. When he awoke, the typical ' afterglow' that follow consultion of snakevines, something the feline was very fermilar with , was present. Love, pure and simple, for everything.

The feline wondered, and I do now also, Why is this not spoken of more ? While the feline said, the vascioconstriction was certinaly apparent ( mostly because it came on so quickly ) He found it actually to be less intense overall then experiences with snakevines. While the visions induced were something snakevines never had even approached. And that aside, the general lack of a desire to vomit , would put the simple fungus , near the top of the feline's list, as perhaps at once, the most pleasent, and most profound entheogen, he has known.

bb said (not burning copal the feline, but bb 2010 just recently) said:

It has been about 2h since someone ingested a very mild ergot cold water extract gradually over the course of ~30 min. Five sclerotia collected in the northeast us were ground somewhat coarsely and extracted in cold water (in darkness) for a slightly under 20 hours with periodic agitation. The effect could be merely psychosomatic as it's fairly weak, but it seems to be a definite alteration.

The mental effects, a general stimulation and pleasant energy, are of greater magnitude than the physical - some leg muscle spasms at the beginning (nervousness perhaps) leaving barely noticeable cramps. The small dose was the result of cautious inclination; I suspect a larger dose would be more fruitful. The subject agrees.

3 experimenter's effects when ingesting pure ergonovine, June 1979 Journal of Psychedelic Drugs:

In the January-June 1979 issue of the Journal of Psychedelic Drugs, Jeremy Bigwood, Jonathan Ott, Catherine Thompson and Patricia Neely report on their attempt to replicate Hofmann's finding in three experiments with ergonovine maleate, each time in one pastoral setting. They were following up Wasson and Ruck, who tried the same amount as Hofmann but "did not experience distinct entheogenic effects."

With Thompson acting as a guide, three of them took 3mg. of ergonovine maleate, which appeared as a slightly phosphorescent bluish solution in water. Fifteen minutes later they felt like lying down and looking at the sky; then there were "very mild visual alterations, characterized by perception of an 'alive' quality in inanimate objects." Most of this effect passed within an hour; walking along the beach, they experienced mild leg cramps. Bigwood saw eidetic imagery before going to bed, and the three "slept easily...awakening refreshed in the morning."

The three experimenters were "convinced that ergonovine was psychoactive, but only J.B. was persuaded the drug was entheogenic." They decided to try it again two weeks later in an increased dosage of 5 mg., but Neely took only 3.75mg. "Again, we experienced lassitude and leg cramps, more pronounced than in the earlier experiment." The psychic effects were more intense than previously, particularly eidetic imagery. "Now it was clear to all of us that ergonovine was entheogenic...The entheogenic effects, however, were very mild, while the somatic effects were quite strong. We had none of the euphoria characteristic of LSD and Psilocybin  experiences."

To determine if higher consciousness alteration was possible, they tried larger oral doses of ergonovine maleate a week later. This time, Neely took a dose of 7.5mg and the others took 10mg:

"One of us (J.O.) described "flashes in periphery, ringing in ears, inner restlessness" 40 minutes after ingestion, and later noted "mild hallucinosis, cramps in legs and felt the cramping in the legs as painful and debilitating. The psychic effects did not increase with the same magnitude as the somatic effects...For what seemed like hours, we lay on our backs atop a small pumphouse, watching fluffy cumulus clouds pass silently above us. The effects were still quite intense six hours after ingestion. One of us experienced abundant eidetic imagery, rapidly-changing, colorful geometric patterns, undulating, never still. We all had a slight hangover the following morning."

Here is hoffman's evaluation of ergonovine when taken at his home when we wrote the book "The Road to Eleusis":

12:20 h: 2.0mg ergonovine hydrogenmaleinate, containing 1.5mg ergonovine base, ingested in a glass of water.

13:00 h: slight nausea, same effect as I have experienced always in my LSD or Psilocybin  experiments. Tired, need to lie down. With eyes closed I see colored figures.

13:30 h: the trees in the nearby forest seem to live, their branches moving in a threatening way.

14:30 h: strong desire to dream, unable to do systematic work, with eyes closed or open afflicted by mollusk-like forms and feelings.

16:00 h: motives and colors have become clearer, but bearing some hidden dangers.

17:00 h: after a short sleep I awoke by a kind of inner explosion of all the senses.

18:00 h: an unexpected visit forced me to become active, but during the whole evening I lived more in an inner than in the outer world.

22:00 h: all effects worn off, normal feeling.

He concludes the 10 hour experience has a potency of about 1/20th (at the 1.5mg dosage) the potency of LSD...

I think you are spot on jon with the adducts thing and sherry wine, etc.

perhaps the mint was only used to lower any extra amount of "extra" vasoconstriction which the adducted molecule could not take care of.

will have to run some experiments in the future

thanks!

yes, i agree. as a matter of fact one of the books I have saids something about a man found wandering around on the streets, he had "groats of purple barley" hanging from his mustache, and he was not acting quite right, he was brought before the judge who concluded that indeed "the man had been profaning" the Sacred brew, and he was therefore sentenced or whatever...also the priest who served the brew back then were thought to wear "purple robes", the color purple played a big part in all this....the brew was not allowed to be drank outside of the telestrion ceremony or the punishment was death if caught.

i too want to read the latest book on Eleusis released just recently on Hofmann/the secret elexir and the New Eleusis.

Jonathan Ott many decades ago was going to "drink a water solution filtered from actual ergot" but chickened out at the last moment, may have been a quite extraordinary experience similar to burning copal's experience above, but we will never know now will we.

Yes, there are some potent aldehydes in mint as well, this is all one great big Mystery.

It's too bad that burning copal  ended up erasing all of his posts in his original ergot thread, but luckily I saved a copy of it from when he posted it years ago. I don't feel at all that he is one to bullshit, he is very intelligent and a no-bullshit kind of fellow, I feel he got lucky and got ahold of potent ergot that was very fresh and quite concentrated in ergometrine (ergonovine) as he prepared it right then and there by moonlight outside in a mortar and pestal no messing around. He had mentioned that he had never tried LSD before in that thread, but somehow had felt the experience was more lucid and energizing than a normal hbwr or snakevine extraction. He did indeed find it the best entheogen he had ever experienced. He don't think he had ever tried mescaline before but I'm not sure. He had felt that he had let the cat out of the bag on ergot and was sorry he did that, that's why he erased his post on it.

Now, if we could just add a "CH3" or methyl group molecule to the bottom indole-nitrogen ring of ergonovine, then we would have acid that is potent at the 20mg level, with 20mg of sansert (available from canada by prescription as sandoz discontinued in the US) equal to 100ug of lsd according to several posters on the net as well as Jonathan Ott, Shulgin saids that 20mg of Sansert causes profound lsd like effects in the volunteers who took it at high levels as well.

According to the adducts paper, the bottom indole-nitrogen ring of ergometrine (ergonovine) is actually where any aldehydes (like ch3ch0, acetaldehyde) will attach and form stable adducts under the right conditions, hell even the liver may do this on its own. Note that ald-52 (the less anxiety form of LSD-25) has a very similar attachment at the same exact bottom ring position as well.

If we could simply take a big water solution of active ergonovine from ergot and add on just a CH3 (just like sansert does) at the bottom indole-nitrogen position on the ring, then we would have acid active at the 20mg level and up, with 40mg equal to 200ug of LSD. I don't know if adding an acetaldehyde at the bottom position will work "just as well as sansert with the CH3 there" to vastly decrease vasoconstriction, but it just might have the same effect. Sansert gives you all the psychedelic effects at high doses but without the annoying vasoconstriction of ergonovine, due to sansert being a weak vasoconstrictor, scientist found by adding the ch3 to the bottom position, would cause the vasoconstriction to significantly decrease.