Meet the Plants: Ghost Pipe

A Veil-Walker of Sorrow and Stillness

I first met Ghost Pipe on a quiet summer walk through the woods behind my home. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, just wandering, breathing in the trees when I spotted her pale, waxy form rising from the leaf litter like something from a dream. She didn’t look like anything I’d ever seen. No green leaves, no petals, just translucent, ghostlike stalks reaching upward in the dappled shade.

Curiosity pulled me in, and that curiosity became reverence the more I learned. She wasn’t just unusual, she was different in a fundamental way and yet, she felt familiar, like someone I’d known before in another form. That first meeting began a quiet relationship rooted in wonder, and deep listening and sparked a quiet respect that’s deepened with each season.

A Glimpse into Her History

Ghost Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) doesn’t act like most plants. She has no chlorophyll and doesn’t rely on the sun at all. Instead, she gets her nourishment from a vast underground network of fungi connected to the roots of trees, especially beech, oak and pine. She doesn’t pull directly from the trees, she draws her sustenance from the mycorrhizal fungi in the soil  and in some cases even from the mycelium of nearby mushrooms. She’s not just connected to the forest, she’s woven into it She’s part of the hidden forest conversations, living entirely in the shadows. And it shows in her medicine: quiet, profound and not meant to be rushed.

She’s been called many names: Indian Pipe, Corpse Plant, Ice Plant, Eyebright, and Fairy Smoke. The name “Indian Pipe” refers to her resemblance to a ceremonial pipe, and in many Indigenous traditions, she was held as sacred.

In Cherokee, Mohegan, and other Eastern Woodland traditions, Ghost Pipe was used sparingly and respectfully. She wasn’t just for physical pain, she was turned to when grief or trauma became too much to carry. Some elders described her as a medicine that allows you to “step outside” of overwhelming pain - not to escape it, but to witness it from a place of safety.

Appalachian herbalists also revered her, especially for nerve pain, seizures, or emotional distress. She was used as a sedative and antispasmodic, but always in small, careful amounts. Old stories say she appears where the veil is thin, where someone has passed or where sorrow has settled into the soil.

One bit of lore tells of Ghost Pipe springing up from the tears of two separated lovers, each bloom a frozen expression of longing, grief and devotion. Whether you believe in legend or not, there's no denying she carries a rare and tender energy.

Herbal & Traditional Uses

• Internal use (microdoses only, tincture form):
• Nervous system support for overwhelming emotional or physical pain
• Used traditionally for nerve pain, toothaches, convulsions, or panic
• May assist during trauma related shutdown, deep sorrow or mental fog
• Traditional systems:
• North American Indigenous healing
• Appalachian folk herbalism
• Emotional and energetic uses:
• Helps soften emotional overwhelm
• Supports grief integration and deep emotional witnessing
• Grounding aid during spiritual or personal transitions
• Common preparations:
• Fresh plant tincture only (drying destroys active components)
• Microdose use, 1 to 3 drops as needed
• Flower essence for subtle emotional support

“She doesn’t take the pain away, she helps you breathe next to it.”

Why I Work With Her in My Apothecary

Ghost Pipe is a rare and sacred presence in my apothecary. I only harvest her when she appears in clear abundance and always with gratitude and restraint. When I do prepare her, it’s as a fresh plant tincture made immediately after harvesting to keep her energy intact. Each bottle contains one whole flower, as a reminder of how little it takes and how much she offers.

This tincture is offered to those navigating intense emotional or physical pain, trauma processing, or grief that feels too large to carry alone. She is not a daily remedy but in those moments where you feel overwhelmed or shut down, her gentle presence can help you reconnect.

 Myth vs. Truth or Safety Notes

• Not a psychedelic. Despite popular myths, Ghost Pipe does not induce visions or hallucinations. Her effect is subtle, more about softening perception and offering perspective.
• Only effective fresh. She must be tinctured immediately after harvesting. Dried material has little to no value.
• Use sparingly and respectfully. Doses are typically 1–3 drops. She is not for long-term or casual use and should be avoided by those who feel emotionally ungrounded.
• May be rare in your area. I only gather from healthy, thriving patches that return year after year. If you're not sure, it’s best to admire her and leave her undisturbed.

On Being with Ghost Pipe

Ghost Pipe isn’t a plant I go to for answers. She’s more like a quiet presence that reminds me I don’t have to hold everything all at once. There’s something about simply noticing her in the woods, how she exists so completely outside the usual rules of green life, that gives permission to just be. No fixing. No pushing through.

I think that’s her gift. When everything feels too much, she reminds us that stepping back, taking a breath, and allowing space is enough. You don’t have to explain what you’re feeling. You don’t have to name it or solve it. Just let it exist.

Affirmation:
"I don’t have to carry it all right now. I can rest for a moment."

Final Thoughts

Ghost Pipe is not a plant I reach for lightly, but when I do it’s because her medicine is needed in a way nothing else can reach. She brings stillness, clarity and quiet strength in the face of sorrow and overwhelm. Her presence reminds me that healing doesn’t always mean movement, sometimes, it means simply sitting beside the wound and letting it breathe.

If you’re called to work with her, you can find my Ghost Pipe Tincture ,  crafted with intention and care from ethically wildcrafted plants in Northern Wisconsin. Each bottle contains one bloom and is made only when the plant is offered in abundance.

Look Alike's & Ethical Harvesting

Don't be fooled, Ghost Pipe has a few woodland cousins that can trip up even seasoned foragers.

Common Look Alike's:

• Pinesap (Hypopitys spp.):
  The most common confusion. Pinesap also lacks chlorophyll and grows in similar shaded woodlands. But instead of one flower per stalk like Ghost Pipe (uniflora), Pinesap has multiple nodding flowers on a single stem. Pinesap is usually more pinkish or yellowish and appears in tighter clusters.
• Young mushrooms or coral fungi:
  Some pale fungi can resemble emerging Ghost Pipe shoots, especially when just breaking through the soil. But they don’t have the distinctive bell-shaped flowers or translucent stems.

Take your time, get low to the ground, and really look. Ghost Pipe has a softness, a glow and a solitary elegance that’s hard to unsee once you’ve met her.

A Note on Harvesting with Respect

Ghost Pipe is uncommon in many regions, and her role in the forest ecosystem is deeply connected to the health of the fungal and tree communities around her. I harvest her only when she is abundant and thriving in a patch that I know and watch over time and even then, only a few stalks from many.

• Never harvest from a patch that has fewer than a dozen plants.
• Never take the first or the last you see.
• If in doubt, don’t harvest at all.

Sometimes, the most powerful relationship we can have with a plant is one of observation and reverence.

More Meet the Plants features are coming soon. Follow along on Facebook or join the Willow Moon newsletter to discover your next forest-born ally.