Abstract
Ergot is one of the most efficacious and commonly used drugs. Ergot itself (Claviceps purpurea), a fungus which grows on rye and certain grasses, is a variable mixture of various potent and relatively inert substances. The main active constitutents are the alkaloids ergotoxine and ergotamine, and the amines histamine and tyramine. Before the isolation of crystalline ergotamine, the official fluidextract of ergot was the preparation mainly employed. According to Rothlin,<sup>1</sup>Nelson and Pattee<sup>2</sup>and others the alkaloid ergotamine is the most important constituent of ergot and the one the presence of which in ergot preparations should be ensured. Since the isolation of ergotamine (C<sub>33</sub>H<sub>35</sub>O<sub>5</sub>N<sub>5</sub>) by Stoll and Spiro in 1921 this alkaloid has come to be extensively used, mainly as the tartrate.<sup>3</sup>Its most important uses have been the prevention and control of postpartum hemorrhage from atonic uteri, and the
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