XPost: rec.arts.books.tolkien   
   From: no.spam@no.spam   
      
   Further to my last:   
      
   > Ultraviolet-irradiated mushrooms are another source of Vitamin D,   
   > explaining the Hobbits' fondness for them.   
      
   Mushrooms growing out in the open, such as in Farmer Maggot's   
   fields are more exposed to UV radiation than those under   
   forest canopy in the Shire and so are naturally more sought-after.   
      
    > The Ent-draught   
    > taken by Merry and Pippin while still in late childhood partially   
    > reversed this trend as it was rich in Vitamin D2 having been filtered   
    > through UV-irradiated fungi in Fanghorn Forest.   
      
   Then how was that the Ent-draught was so potent, if Fanghorn Forest   
   was shady and dark with very few ultraviolet (or any other) photons   
   to irradiate the fungi therein?   
      
   Some additional research uncovered an interesting possibility:   
   the main ingredient of Ent-draught may have been rye from out on   
   the open Wold, just east of the Forest. We know that rye grows   
   on the Wold from the opening lines of "The Lady of Shalott":   
      
      On either side the river lie   
      Long fields of barley and of rye,   
      That clothe the Wold and meet the sky...   
      
   Although it wasn't known during the Third Age, rye (as well as barley)   
   is susceptible to a type of fungus called ergot mold. This, when   
   exposed to UV may have been the rich source of Vitamin D2 that   
   imparted such vigor (and enhanced bone mineralization) to the Ents   
   and Hobbits who drank it.   
      
   However, ergot is also known for its hallucinogenic effects, which   
   could explain Boromir and Faramir's "Seek for the sword that   
   was broken" dream, if they both consumed bakery products made from   
   ergot-infected grain.   
      
   Sean Quinlan   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)