06/24/2026
TRIGGER WARNING β οΈ
Today I found some ghost pipe and left it exactly where I found it....π
But why would I do that? Especially since most of you are told this is such an amazing medicinal plant π€
β οΈ Ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora) is an attractive ghostly parasitic plant. It's pale white color and attractive shape has lead to a rise in using this plant for medicinal reasons. The problem is that ghost pipe contains grayanotoxins, which are powerful neurotoxins. These toxins have several negative effects on the body including lowering breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate β potentially to life-threatening levels if you take too much. These toxins affect our nerves and muscles.
π§ A huge issue is that there have been little to no studies performed on ghost pipe as a medicinal plant, and grayanotoxins (which may vary between species) are extremely hard to detect. It's simply IMPOSSIBLE to make a tincture that is GRAS (generally recognized as safe) and cannot be sold as such. There is no way to measure the amount of grayanotoxins in your final product. In simpler terms, if scientists can't even isolate and measure these grayanotoxins, there is no way your neighborhood herbalist can. Not only does this add liability to the maker, it puts the patient at risk. Anybody to tell you a dose to take and that it's safe, is lying. They cannot guarantee that, and that is a FACT.
πΏ Now with this being said, we do use medicinal plants that are neurotoxic such as wormwood, which contains Thujoneβa convulsant that affects the brain by blocking GABA receptors, which are the neurotransmitters responsible for calming the nervous system. But the difference between herbs like wormwood and ghost pipe is that we know what is considered a safe dose. We have a long historical use of this plant and scientific studies to back it. The beverage "Absinthe," made from wormwood, became a great example of how dangerous neurotoxins can be when improper amounts are consumed.
****WHAT ABOUT THE SUCCESS STORIES?
π€―For the past several years, ghost pipe has gained a lot of popularity and every influencer is telling you to carry around the jar of Everclear to tincture these plants. People have been told it can help their pain, help them sleep and ease their anxiety..... And thus has produced the placebo effect in many cases. When you are told something will work, and you believe it will work, it usually does. But this is your mind making this happen, not the actual substance you're using.
π The people who claim ghost pipe greatly reduces their pain, are actually responding to the Methyl salicylate found within ghost pipe. This is closely related to the salicylic acid, which can easily be found in baby aspirin, and produces a comparable strength. This means, if a baby aspirin can't help ease your pain, ghost pipe won't either. Alternatively, if it DOES help your pain, it means there are safer herbal options like white willow and even cayenne.
β οΈ Another issue is that neurotoxins can completely destroy nerve cells (neurons), and because the nervous system relies on these delicate cells to transmit electrical and chemical signals, any damage can be highly disruptive. If too much ghost pipe is taken, the nerves could be damaged, giving the false impression of pain relief. So does it mean it's actually relieving your pain like an aspirin, killing your nerves, or is it all in your head? Those are literally the only three outcomes.
****TRADITIONAL MEDICINE?
π¦
People claim that ghost pipe is an indigenous traditional medicine but there are not many reliable sources of any indigenous tribes using this plant for medicinal reasons. The only traditional story that exists is one that tells of a group of tribal chiefs that sat in a circle arguing endlessly while passing a peace pipe. Because they were too stubborn to stop quarreling and make peace, they failed to uphold the sacred purpose of the pipe. Out of disappointment and shame, the Great Spirit punished the chiefs by transforming them into the drooping, pipe-shaped flowers. The plants' bent heads represent their bowed heads of shame, and it is said the flowers spring up wherever friends or family have quarreled....
The ghost pipe became a symbol of broken peace, deep sorrow, and sacred medicine.... But not medicine in the way most people think of it.
β¨ See, in most indigenous cultures, medicine can be anything... And there can be good and bad medicine. Simply sitting with a group of friends, laughing and having a good time, is considered medicine, good medicine. So I believe this concept was taken out of context by those who don't understand indigenous ways. These people also clearly don't understand indigenous medicine. Not to mention, ghost pipe is such a fragile plant (too fragile for preservation). Traditional medicines were plants that could be preserved for the people all year long. Indigenous people certainly weren't carrying around teapots and jars of everclear to make fresh ghost pipe tea and tinctures. And the chances of it making its way back to camp without disintegrating to mush, was unlikely.
π₯΄ Since the popularity of ghost pipe began, I have asked many elders and from many tribes, including Lumbee, Lakota, DinΓ©, Shawnee, Seminole, Cree and of course my own family elders who are Pamunkey/Algonquin.... None of them have ever heard of this plant being used as an actual internal medicine. My guess is that somebody took the story of the ghost pipe being 'a sacred medicine of peace" and didn't quite understand what that meant, and therefore assumed it was to be consumed. And just like a rumor in a small town, this lie made its rounds and now has become believable.
****SAFER OPTIONS
πΏ In the plant kingdom we have many herbs that can be used as painkillers. And again, because ghost pipe is only producing pain relieving strength that is comparable to a baby aspirin, it can be safely swapped out for white willow bark or even wild lettuce, which has proven to produce a pain relieving strength of an average Ibuprofen. As far as anxiety and insomnia, herbs like passion flower, valerian, catnip, skull cap and even oat straw, are safer replacements. You will receive similar relaxing effects from these herbs, without playing Russian roulette with your health.
π₯ FINAL THOUGHT
Most of you know I work with what is considered "toxic plants" all the time, and pokeweed and black nightshade are great examples. Poison does indeed lie in the dose. But despite its popularity, I will not recommend ghost pipe. Until we know more about WHAT is considered a safe dose, or if it even contains the medicinal benefits people claim, you are taking a chance with your health and your future. And in my opinion it's not worth that.
π€·π»ββοΈ I know that this post will most likely upset many and that's okay. I am not here to be liked... I am here to teach you the facts, so that you can make the best informed decision for your own health. Whether you choose to believe those facts or not, is on you. It is your own health you are gambling with.
πΏ If you want to learn more about actual medicinal plants in your area, visit our site below
www.healthprimitive.com
β οΈ SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
Every person should do their own research so that they can make the best informed decision for their own health. Pregnant and nursing women should avoid Ghost pipe. If you have prior health concerns or take medication, it's best to speak to your doctor before using any herbal remedies.
Stay Wild βπ»
SOURCES BELOW ππ» ππ» ππ» ππ»
π« Grayanotoxin acts on sodium ion channels and muscarinic receptors, leading to cardiac disorders (hypotension and different rhythm disorders including bradycardia, bradydysrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, nodal rhythm, atrioventricular block, and complete atrioventricular block) and respiratory depression. Patients may also exhibit any one symptom out of or combination of dizziness, blurred vision, diplopia, nausea, vomiting, vertigo, headache, sweating/excessive perspiration, extremity paresthesia, impaired consciousness, convulsion, hypersalivation, ataxia, inability to stand, and general weakness.
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/ra/c8ra01924j
π Scientific evidence for the medicinal properties of grayanotoxin containing preparations, such as honey or herbal preparation in use in folk medicine, is scarce, and such use may even be harmful.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404272/
π€¦π»ββοΈ Articles found with a search engine condoning M. uniflora as a pain reliever do not include any scientific references and rarely discuss active ingredients or a chemical analysis of the plant. Some 'provings' are completely subjective experiences and simply unscientific (ie: https://www.homeopathyschool.com/the-school/provings/indian-pipe/)
π Herbalist Sean Donahue, who was the first person to bring attention to ghost pipe, has retracted his decade old article about Ghost Pipe which has led to a great deal of misunderstanding and overharvesting. Sean discusses his regret in ever teaching about the plant: http://greenmanramblings.blogspot.com/2016/07/ghost-pipe-cautionary-tale.html
