11/05/2025
Monotropa uniflora — the ghost pipe, spirit plant, or co**se flower — a being of deep mystery and ancestral medicine.
She appears pale and translucent, otherworldly even, growing not in sunlight but in the cool quiet shadows of the forest. Unlike most green plants, she doesn’t photosynthesize. Instead, she weaves into the underground mycelial network, drawing sustenance through mycorrhizal fungi and tree roots. This unique symbiotic relationship allows the ghost pipe to receive nutrients that are otherwise bound and unavailable to other plants. This partnership allows the ghost pipe to thrive in dark, forested locations. She’s a true teacher of reciprocity and unseen connection. Her color can range from ghostly white to this hot pink you see here, depending on the acidity of the soil. These are the pinkest ones I’ve ever seen.
Ghost pipe reminds us that not all nourishment comes from the light, some comes from the dark, from surrender, from letting others hold us when we cannot hold ourselves. This is a plant with medicine so strong that I only reach for it as a final resort. Traditionally, she’s been used in small amounts as a nervine and analgesic, helping ease emotional overwhelm, deep grief, and spiritual pain. I’ve heard stories from medicine people passed down that monotropa uniflora was a plant relied on to bring an end to conflict. I’ve also been told in the past that the plant was smoked and shared with quarreling clans to ease tension. More lore is that she will only grow where blood has been shed. Most times now, I like to just with her in the forest. Something unique about this plant spirit is the sheer ancientness of her, combined with her familial evolution alongside the mycorrhizal fungi, which is a being that evolved with the ocean back millennia’s ago when this part of lower Alabama was still completely under water—an ocean. Millions and millions of years of evolution, community and revival. No wonder she helps us so much with grief, longing, and loss. She’s been around long enough to know that all things are cyclical. Seasonal. Always moving and flowing. Ending and beginning. Forward, forward, forward..
Ghost pipe is a pretty strong dissociative and has been used historically by herbalist and folk medicine makers to help folks dealing with serious grief and trauma. It’s also been used for people who are dealing with a great deal of physical pain. It doesn’t make the pain go away entirely, but it does dull it—making it easier for a person to withstand and deal with. I think of monotropa uniflora as an ally who helps us open up more room within ourselves to sit with the heavy things. I’ve spoken with other herbalist who volunteer during festivals and large gatherings and this is a plant medicine they keep on hand to aid people who are hallucinating or having “bad trips” per se.
There are so many fascinating compounds that make up this plant’s chemistry. From monotropin which is a compound found in ghost pipe and several other plant species, to salicylic acid derivatives and even some potential grayanotoxins. Monotropa uniflora is not photosynthetic, but she is mycoheterotrophic which means she parasitizes mycorrhizal fungi that are in turn connected to trees, often members of the Ericaceae family. Because of this connection, the plant can accumulate grayanotoxins from its host network. Have you ever heard of mad honey? It’s the grayanotoxins from rododendrons that causes that. Is this a cause of concern for people who are planning to use medicine made from this plant? Well, that’s up to the user to decide because there are potential risks associated.
This is the type of plant that most people will never see in their lifetime. A bucket list sort of gal. Monotropa Uniflora is considered at risk in several regions and this is due largely to deforestation and habitat loss. Finding ghost pipe in your local eco system is a really great sign for the health of the overall forest. The conditions for this plant to grow and prosper are highly specific and cannot be replicated outside of nature. Monotropa Uniflora is a herbaceous perennial that blooms year after year, although a lot of people mistake her for some sort of fungi. In a healthy forest like where these photos were taken, you can see hundreds of these beautiful ghostly wildflowers if you get low to the ground and adjust your eyes to them.
If you are ever to find yourself along their path, please do not gather or disturbs the roots. If you are considering making medicine with them, please be well prepared, informed, and follow the right protocol. This is a very fragile plant and the moment you pick one, she will begin to wane and lose vitality immediately. Know in your bones that you do not have to gather from her to share in the medicine she brings. Because ghost pipe is at risk, it’s unethical to gather from a wild population that isn’t abundant and healthy. If you see less than 15-20 plants, leave her be. Come back year after year, sit and talk with her..in time she will spread. Nourish the soil and relish in it when you sit next to her on the ground. Gently press your fingers to the earth, notice how perfectly damp and springy the mycelial network and decomp is beneath your finger tips. It’s as soft as my favorite pillow. Be held by the land and open to receive healing.
There is so much to say about this plant, we could really be here all day. But just know that if you stumble upon some one day, you are blessed. I hope you’ll sit a while and relish in the moment. She’s speaks a language only the heart can translate. ♥️
**I do not sale this medicine or give out locations to healthy populations**
