Does black fungus have properties to make a person insane?

Question

I saw a Chinese movie entitled, "Curse of the Golden Flower." In the movie, the empress started to lose her sanity because the emperor's apothecary was slipping black fungus into her tea. Can black fungus make a person go crazy?

Answer 1

Yes. Fungus can make a person crazy.  A fungus called Claviceps purpurea or ergot can infect grains used for flour and ,when ingested, produces symptoms of psychosis. The fungus produces a natural form of LSD which is psychoactive when ingested in bread prepared with the infected flour.  The fungus is black in colour when it is harvested from the plant.