Foliage Facts & Folklore: Monotropa uniflora, a.k.a. the ‘Ghost Pipe’ Plant

‘Ghost Pipes’ (Monotropa uniflora) have caused quite a stir in foraging-related communities and forums recently due to their incredibly unique characteristics, aesthetic appeal, historical uses and lore, and possible (likely, but hardly researched) medicinal benefits. Given the very specific environmental conditions required for Ghost Pipes to grow, coupled with their quick disintegration after harvest and the lack of scientific interest or funding for research into this plant, it has remained a niche “plant of the people,” and it has also remained the subject of a lot of conjecture, misinformation, and even drama. As someone who simultaneously believes in the power of scientific research, environmental conservation, AND the role of plants as medicine and food for people, I would like to share what I think is a balanced perspective on this very interesting plant, as well as my own experiences with it.

Almost as if by some unpredictable magic, Ghost Pipes seem to pop up in mysterious, obscure locations shrouded from the light of the sun. Ghost Pipes are incredibly unique, occupying a niche at the fringe between plants and fungi, possibly warranting their own unique class within the tree of life (although they are technically considered plants in current classifications). Members of the Monotropaceae family were considered part of the Ericaceae family (blueberries, cranberries, rhododendrons, etc.), but some evidence suggests they should be considered separate.¹ The genus ‘Monotropa’ is Greek for ‘one turn,’ and ‘uniflora’ means ‘one-flowered.’ The flower is initially turned downwards like a hook but slowly straightens after it is pollinated by an insect, at which point the stem becomes upright.

Ghost Pipes usually bloom in late summer or early fall.² They are one of the few plants that do not contain chlorophyll, which helps explain their delicate white structure and ‘scales’ instead of leaves. Monotropa uniflora is often found in groups, arising when the conditions are right after being dormant for sometimes years at a time. They have a special relationship with the roots of trees called a ‘mycorrhizal relationship,’ which in this case means that they can only grow near the roots of trees that meet certain criteria. They are considered ‘mycoheterotrophs,’ which means that they feed on mycorrhizal fungi (for Ghost Pipes, it’s members of the Russula and Lactarius generas)³, which, in turn, are fungi that have a mutualistic relationship with the roots of particular plants to get nutrients (trees, in this case). Basically, Ghost Pipes use nutrients from particular mushrooms that get nutrients from particular trees.

Ghost Pipes are native to the United States, and they have been used by indigenous Native Americans for various medicinal purposes, including: alleviating epileptic fits in children, addressing skin abnormalities, treating eye conditions (using the liquid extracted from the plant), chewing the flowers for toothache relief, as a gynecological aid, and as a cold remedy.⁴ Some recent studies and articles suggest that Ghost Pipes are a ‘nervine’ (good for stress, anxiety, restlessness and strengthening the nervous system), and that it could have benefits for pain relief and has even been recommended as a substitute for opium.⁵ Studies also suggest that it contains salicylic acid, a natural aspirin-like compound that helps with inflammation and pain.⁶

Since Ghost Pipes are an under-studied plant when it comes to medicinal research, it is important to be cautious of potential toxicity. According to one inconclusive article, Ghost Pipes may possibly contain heavy metals depending on their growing location, and they could also contain ‘grayanotoxin’ (‘andromedotoxin’), which is found in other common plants in the Ericaceae family.⁷ Regarding heavy metals, it is important to be cautious of any plant coming from an area with high levels of pollutants. Also, the name ‘grayanotoxin’ can be misleading since it can have positive therapeutic effects in smaller doses and negative effects only at higher doses since it can often be found in certain plants and some honey.⁸ The best approach when using Ghost Pipes for medicinal purposes, as with all under-studied plants, should be to use a small amount first to see how your body reacts, and then to only use the plant as medicinally necessary.

Despite the claims from numerous blog posts about this plant, Monotropa uniflora is considered to have a globally “secure” conservation status (G5), meaning that it is not an endangered species, regardless of whether it is a common sight for humans in nature (due to its short flowering time of only a few weeks in late summer in the specific environments I mentioned earlier). It is, however, considered imperiled in some specific states such as Alaska, California, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.⁹ While pains should definitely still be taken to protect this species, this information does provide an important indication as to the reality of its prolificness. Interestingly the number of flowers is also not exactly related to their actual population either (despite what many people think based on their blog posts and articles online), since many flowers may come from the same root and would technically be considered one organism, according to efloras.org. It states, “counting inflorescences as a measure of population sizes is essentially meaningless but may be an indication of the overall health of the plants and recent environmental conditions.”¹⁰ As a general rule, I highly recommend responsible foraging practices, which typically means leaving behind enough of a species in the locale that it can still reproduce sufficiently (take a ‘few’ from each ‘bunch’ if the species is not endangered or extremely rare).

According to some sources, the aerial parts of Ghost Pipes likely have similar medicinal benefits to their roots, although harvesting the roots is likely to cause a much more problematic effect due to their relationship with the mycorrhizae and their probable nutrient-storing potential for dormancy and re-emergence. It grows in a wide variety of well-drained, shady sites, and apparently does not do well in recently disturbed areas. In the Forest Ecosystem Research and Demonstration Area (FERDA), an inventory of plants taken a decade after logging operations showed a decline in the frequency of ‘Indian Pipe’ (Ghost Pipe) on three of the five blocks that had been logged (shelterwood, single tree cut, and clearcut).¹¹ In my opinion, real conservation efforts directed at preserving the Ghost Pipe species should focus on these super destructive large-scale behaviors instead of the negligible acts of responsible foraging for personal medicine and research.

The widely varied opinions about Monotropa uniflora are largely due to disagreements about the usefulness of the species and its population status. One of my biggest frustrations when it comes to herbal research is how some people seem to treat the first page of Google results as law when doing ‘research’ into a topic, when we all know that the algorithms don’t prioritize ‘truthful’ or ‘objective’ results first. I will briefly discuss one of the first pages that I came across during my search for information about Ghost Pipes just to show how important context and careful research are when coming to conclusions about lesser-known plants (or anything). This post was titled “Ghost Pipe, a NO PICK,” which appears at first glance to be a trustworthy “.org” research source but turns out to be a pretty rant-y blog post with grammatical errors and dysfunctional links selling touristic services out of California (one of the few states where Ghost Pipes are admittedly considered imperiled). It says things like, “It does not seem so ‘sacred’ when folks share it with the world to see,” and that Ghost Pipes “cannot withstand harvesting.”¹²

Evidence does show, however, that popularizing a plant can increase research on that plant and improve knowledge about how to best protect it (as long as responsible foraging and collecting techniques are emphasized). A session at the 2017 National Native Seed Conference focused on ‘plant blindness’ discussed how a lack of education and public awareness about plants (especially endangered and threatened plants) negatively impacts efforts to conserve and manage native plants.¹³ The article, “Ghost Pipe, a NO PICK” may make some reasonable points, but calls to action must be made with nuance, and the demand for ‘zero disturbance’ of species that are not endangered and could be medicinally useful without providing rational grounds as to why are on a slippery slope to arguing that all foraging is bad because plants are ‘harmed’ in the process. This is an absolutely absurd and undesirable conclusion in my opinion.

I have encountered Ghost Pipes in both Iowa, where it is considered “apparently secure” (S4), and Massachusetts (where it has no conservation status due to a lack of knowledge about the plant) just during the past few months, and I was able to make a tincture out of a few samples, which was extremely exciting for me as a somewhat ‘self-experimental’ herbalist. Due to its fragile physical structure, Monotropa uniflora is typically made into a tincture on the spot. I used alcohol to create a tincture with a few harvested aerial parts. After a day or two, the tincture turned a dark purple, which was a cool experience (probably part of the reason for its popularity on social media). I swirled the tincture for a few weeks, ensuring that the material was submerged in the alcohol. Since I experience restlessness and anxiety, I have tried one dropper of the tincture on two separate occasions and felt calm, although this is not enough trials for me to say definitively whether it had a significant effect. I am interested in trying the tincture for pain as well. I will also keep my eye out for more emerging science on the intriguing Monotropa uniflora plant, since my venture into this topic has already surprised me so much and taught me so much more about the world of botany and herbalism.

If you are interested in Ghost Pipe plants (whether just for observational purposes or personal medicinal use), I highly recommend scouring the depths of the internet for all of the interesting personal testaments that people have with this plant. Please be sure to treat Monotropa uniflora with respect, and forage sustainably and responsibly. Also, supporting environmental causes, environmental education and awareness, and reforestation are hugely important for natural diversity and appreciation in general. Furthermore, it is important for all of us to take a stand against unnecessary urbanization and human development that encroaches on delicate natural land, which is the ecosystem and home of many species of plants and animals. If you have any experiences with Ghost Pipes or using them medicinally, please leave a comment below and share your experiences!

Thanks for reading!

-Josh

Credit for many of the photos, foraging finds, fun, and support for this post goes to Craig Jordan.

Sources:

1. https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/monotropa_uniflora.shtml ↩︎
2. https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wildflowers-indian-pipe-monotropa-uniflora.html ↩︎
3. https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wildflowers-indian-pipe-monotropa-uniflora.html ↩︎
4. https://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/the-hand-lens/explore/narratives-details/?irn=7546 ↩︎
5. https://ijprajournal.com/issue_dcp/Pharmacognosticalreview%20of%20Monotropauniflora.pdf ↩︎
6. https://acs.digitellinc.com/p/s/studies-of-chemical-components-in-monotropa-uniflora-indian-pipe-using-gas-chromatographymass-spectrometry-605379 ↩︎
7. https://publicwebuploads.uwec.edu/documents/ASTRA-2023-Final-1-.pdf#page=43 ↩︎
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404272/ ↩︎
9. https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.133249/Monotropa_uniflora#:~:text=Conservation%20Status&text=Monotropa%20uniflora%20is%20a%20wide,markets%20as%20an%20alternative%20medicine. ↩︎
10. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=20814&fbclid=IwY2xjawFiuZFleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHbULmRHfC2PEJXcRX0KIzQLqDimJ475F1zTmjSh8UPyNUHj_VOkpLkaqig_aem_mnl3WxVhReEFRN5nCSZvmw ↩︎
11. https://wildadirondacks.org/adirondack-wildflowers-indian-pipe-monotropa-uniflora.html ↩︎
12. https://www.everyleafspeaks.org/blank-3/ghost-pipe-a-no-pick ↩︎
13. https://plantconservationalliance.org/resources ↩︎