The sacred Ghost pipe, a magical, fairyland like plant.

Ghost pipe is actually a plant, and not a mushroom. This fact shocks people when i tell them this fat. Even though it is almost transparent white, with no chlorophyll to be found, it is a plant not.

How is this so? It’s magical… Ghost pipe “networks” with fungi relatives known as mycorrhizae and the roots of plants (trees) that are conducting photosynthesis. In short, these plants optimize their root relationship with the fungi that are uniquely connected to and fed by the green plant.

This is one of those plants that I tincture alone, harvested and tinctured on the spot. You don’t want to pick this and bring it home for later use, it absolutely must be placed into alcohol immediately. Occasionally I add this beauty to a blend with other anodyne herbs, but alone she shines so well.

It is a beautiful plant ally for fear, monotropa uniflora aka corpse plant, aka ghost pipe…appears when it is needed and disappears just as quickly. I have found that since the pandemic it appears in more abundance than before. Perhaps answeringthe call of the world we. now live in. The fear, the uncertainty. The magic and the medicine of this plant will speak to you. It isn’t readily available, which is why I caustion harvesting it. Never take the roots, leave more than you take from each cluster. Leave most clusters untouched and only take a few here and there. Where I am locally it is rarely found in such an abundance that I would harvest it. In New England, my second home, it is found in hidden areas along trails where the clusters are now in such an abundance that they almost beckon one to them.

For those who need a teaching, this medicine helps you look at the stories that perpetuate fear. The fear of being alone, the fear of challenges, ghost pipe will remind us that the disassociation and isolation created by fear are something you do not need to face alone. It welcomes us back to our nervous system and lets us know that it is safe to be within our own bodies. That we can be at home within one’s self. When we feel as if we are crazy, remember to look at the celestial bodies and know that you are NOT crazy.

For those who consume cannabis but find the pain relief is not quite enough, a combination of 50/50 will do the trick for managing the pain. Her uses are abundant, from the physical to the emotional and spiritual. Working with her is a privilege and over-harvesting would leave us without this incredible healer. It is why I choose to harvest only the aerial parts and not the root. Both tinctures work the same, there is no additional benefit to the root being added so to preserve the patches I choose the aerial parts alone.  It is why I don’t have this as a staple in my apothecary, but rather as a special offering in my dispensary for patients who need something a little extra special. This plant deserves so much respect, it has an incredibly rich history.

Throughout my career, I have had a draw to specific people, those who suffer great pain and are labelled as mentally unstable. There is something about this plant that calls to this specifically, to the fear and agitation. When someone suffers overwhelm due to the aftereffects of stimulating drugs (and I don’t mean an over-the-counter type, if you catch my drift), it is often labelled as psychosis. The overwhelm is simply too much for some to handle. That is where this plant comes in handy. It acts immediately and effectively at calming and bringing one back to calm 2 to 3 doses of 1 ml each at 5-minute intervals will do the trick, within half an hour they will be off to slumber (only to awaken calm and back down to reality).

Planet: Pluto, (with a little Moon).

It is a tender, emotional, vulnerable and child-like plant (moon). It holds an intensity on the surface. Pluto is that scary water, an unknown mystery that exists in our subconscious. Ghost pipe is a medicine of the underneath, given how it gets its life force in an almost epiparasitic way.

I love using this when Mars is in retrograde, or during times of fear, PRIMAL fears. When we need to be completely honest withourselves. Something fun to note about this plant and it’s planetary alignment – Saturn, Pluto, Mars and Jupiter are considered the “boneyard”.  When these planets hang out in our 6th house, it has a lot to do with confronting what we need to do to heal. What needs to be put in order, like puzzle pieces. Saturn asks the question, what do I need to understand, to relate, to project…it’s time to level up. To comit, to structure your life. Being truthful, and honest is a Mars practice, one that is incredibly tough to get into. Use this to help bring in discernment, choice and action where relationships are concerned. Being at home with ones self within our own body. As with brilliant gemstones, it is the pressure that allows us to transmute into something greater.

“Finding where our fears are rooted in the nervous system, where are they coming from? Then showing us how we clear those ghosts…”

Once those ghosts have been dealt with we no longer project. We no longer feel the need to find enemies on the outside

Every 2 years Mars comes close, known as retrograde, thus calling out to us work with this plant. This is when the atmosphere becomes volatile. You can see how this shows up in social media. You will also see those we view as enemies reappear in our lives, the ones we have unresolved issues with. This is where conflict resolution is so important. Being very direct with your truth, and direct with your boundaries are healthy but tough qualities. They happen to be high-end qualities of Mars.

The influence of Mars helps stir our fire, it prompts us to set healthy boundaries from a place of the great protector, the warrioress from within us. It helps us to assess the world around us, to shine a light on what we need to say NO to and also what we should say YES to.  Each of us has a warrior/warrioress, the question is are we a vengeful warrior or a peaceful warrior? The inward experience using intellect or the use of our mental sword vs. the outward lashing of the tongue. A lesson my warrior heart took decades to learn. I now say yes without fear, I say no with no apologies. There is no more self-destructiveness.

Another note is that when we look deeper into plants that are ruled by Mars we see Hops (beer). Many have used this herb to dull their sword during the past few years as it was all simply too much. I found myself enjoying more than one IPA during our pandemic lives…

I consider this to be a “drop dose, transformational medicine” Meaning that I use it in the smallest of doses in a majority of the people I work with.

1 – 3 drops is all you need in most cases.

Currently I do have a few batches of this herbal remedy available as of fall 2023, if you feel called to this plant please reach out to me. Bottles of this will be smaller and due to the rarity, it will be priced appropriately. It can be used during meditation, holding the bottle will release the energetic spirit of this plant as well as utilizing the plant essence. For those who work in the dreamscape, you will find that visualizing this plant while utilizing its medicine at night will help you in your usage. A 1oz bottle holds approximately 1,000-1,200 drops, and a 2oz bottle holds approximately 2,000-2,400 drops which means there are quite a few doses in a small bottle.

Uses

For intense physical pain:

Use 3 drops to start. If you do not experience relief within 15 – 30 minutes you can jump that up to 20 drops. Each dose can be up to 20 drops (1 ml), for severe Lyme disease coinfection pain you may utilize 30 drops, up to 6 x per day. I like to also combine with anodyne herbs.
Because ghost pipe addresses intense physical pain by reducing sensitivity to pain STIMULI  (it acts as an antinociceptive). On a spiritual level this is not your average analgesic, herbalist and ethnobotanist David Winston describes it as:

“allowing acceptance of the pain, knowing that it is there, but simply feeling as though you do not care because it has somehow raised the pain threshold”.

It is said that ghost pipe allows people to feel more grounded and present in the moment where their overwhelming pain has dominated their experience of their bodies and the world.

When considering the doctrine of signatures, ghost pipe is very spine-like. Think of our nervous system, our spinal column.

For anxiety & emotional pain:

Start with 3 drops, if after 30 minutes the effects are not felt increase the dosage to 20 drops.
Very much like with the description of how ghost pipe works with pain, it brings down the intensity of feelings to a level of observation. This allows us to deal with the cause of the anxiety in an appropriate and calm manner. Not only does this plant help with random bouts of sadness, it also helps with acute anxiety and panic attacks that are a result of sensory overload. I personally use this in times when my auditory and visual stimuli capacity have exceeded their ability for the day. It is not uncommon for people with neurological Lyme disease to experience this as well. For those suffering from the triggers of an intense emotional memory, PTSD or lingering past trauma.

Ghost pipe reminds us that the nightmare exists ONLY in the subconscious, it is always there however when we are reliving that nightmare it is not in the present. It reminds us that so much of our fear is illusion, ghostlike.

For migraine or chronic headaches:

This is where dosage changes slightly. You will start with 30 drops, those who suffer migraines know how debilitating they can be and how resistant to medications for pain they are. We start using 30 drops and can increase to 100 drops (1 tsp) every few hours. For those with TBI, it works well combined with a few other herbs such as Wood Betony and Clematis. The spine-brain stem aspect are key to why these herbs work so well in this scenario. It works for acute trauma as well, pain from slicing my finger 2 years back had me unable to function. Two doses of this tincture (1ml each) had my pain at a manageable level, where I could function again.

For insomnia:

You will likely find a theme here, 3 drops up to 20 drops. It should take about 15 to 30 minutes to work its magic where it lulls you into sweet slumber.
When describing insomnia it is a specific kind I am referring to. The kind brought about by worrisome thoughts or physical discomfort. It allows us to “let go” allowing us to relax into sleep. Due to its sedative component, nervine properties and antispasmodic effects, it helps us to sleep without waking feeling like we have a hangover.

Another use is the juice of the fresh plant when available, it’s great mixed with rose water for ophthalmological inflammation, ulcers and bladder infections.

Cautions

Caution using for a duration longer than 30 days. There aren’t a lot of studies on this plant, leaving us to wonder at its long-term usage effects. If being monitored by a clinical herbalist, with specific guidance it may be used for a longer duration. However, I prefer to take a break, utilize other herbal blends and then go back when needed.

You will want to avoid this if using ADHD medications.

It’s going to make you drowsy, so don’t operate heavy machinery, drive or walk a tightrope, please.