---
name: Kykeon
molecule: C33H35N5O5
compound: "Ergotamine"
era: Ancient
origin: Greece
archetype: Acidhouse
ancestor: Greek
swag_score: 2
image: "https://assets.0xhoneyjar.xyz/Mibera/traits/acidhouse_greekAncients_kykeon.webp"
date_added: "2025-01-12"
---

<div align="center">
  <img src="https://assets.0xhoneyjar.xyz/Mibera/traits/acidhouse_greekAncients_kykeon.webp" alt="Kykeon" width="320" />
</div>


# Kykeon

## Effects & Properties

**Effects:** Kykeon may produce mild psychoactive effects at high doses, and
could theoretically induce visionary experiences. Common side effects include nausea,
vomiting, dizziness, and muscle cramps due to vasoconstriction. High doses can cause
ergotism, a serious condition with symptoms like severe vasoconstriction, convulsions,
hallucinations, or psychosis.

**Natural Occurrence:** Found in ergot sclerotia on grasses like rye,
wheat, and barley, with concentrations varying. The fungus thrives in damp conditions,
historically contaminating grain supplies in Europe.
Kykeon contained ergot alkaloids stems from the use of barley in its recipe.
**Appearance:** In nature, it exists in
ergot-infected grains, showing as a dark purple to black sclerotia which replace healthy grain
kernels. These sclerotia are hard and irregular, contrasting with the lighter grain.
Kykeon itself is a liquid beverage, likely cloudy or brownish due to barley and mint, and would
resemble a grain-based porridge or drink, not a pure chemical.

## History

Kykeon was the sacred ritual drink consumed by initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries in ancient Greece, ceremonies held annually for nearly 2,000 years (circa 1500 BCE to 392 CE) at the sanctuary of Eleusis near Athens. The exact recipe remains debated, but it is known to have contained barley, water, and mint; scholars including R. Gordon Wasson, Albert Hofmann, and Carl Ruck proposed in their 1978 book "The Road to Eleusis" that ergot-contaminated barley may have provided psychoactive alkaloids similar to LSD. The Mysteries were considered the most important spiritual event in the ancient Greek world, with initiates including Plato, Sophocles, and Cicero reporting profound, life-changing visionary experiences.

## Connections

**Archetype:** [Acidhouse](../../../core-lore/archetypes.md#acidhouse)

**Ancestor:** [Greek](../../../core-lore/ancestors/greek.md)

**Tarot Card:** [Ten of Cups](../../../core-lore/tarot-cards/ten-of-cups.md)

**PubChem:** [Ergotamine](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ergotamine)

**Paired With:** [Shroom Tea](shroom-tea.md)

## Sources

- https://www.erowid.org/plants/ergot/ergot.shtml
- https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ergotamine
- https://www.historicmysteries.com/kykeon/
- [Kykeon - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kykeon)
- [Eleusinian Mysteries - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleusinian_Mysteries)
- [Ergotism - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergotism)
- [Ergot - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot)