How common was mass ergot poisoning? Have there been any cases of mass hysteria or panic that have been proved to be caused by ergot?

by omegasavant

There's no shortage of historical incidents that at least a few people have tried to pin on ergot, some of which seem somewhat plausible (like when people ran around seeing angels for a few hours during the Munster Anabaptist rebellion) and some of which are rather less so (like the Salem Witch Trials, which lasted for months). Is there a historical consensus on the truth of the matter? Has the influence of ergot been overblown?

sunagainstgold

/u/idjet has majestically addressed the basis of your question here, with specific reference to ergot's claimed culpability in the early modern witch craze.