Monotropa uniflora - Ghost Pipe

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Monotropa uniflora, or Ghost Pipe, is a plant without chlorophyll and hence incapable of photosynthesis. Ghost pipe obtains its nutrients via a process called myco-heterotrophy - i.e. parasitizing nutrients from fungi which in turn obtain their nutrients from nearby trees. Trees and fungi engage in a symbiotic, mycorrhizal relationships: Trees produce organic molecules such as sugars through photosynthesis which are supplied to the fungus. The fungus, in turn, supplies the plant with water and mineral nutrients, such as phosphorus, derived from the soil. Ghost pipe does not give anything back to the fungi on which it depends. In fact, ghost pipe necessitates that fungi take more nutrients from the surrounding trees and thus can be said to be parasitic of the symbiotic relationship between trees and fungi.

In the homeopathic remedy picture of Monotropa the issue of boundaries, safety and belonging are of central importance. As we read in the proving of the remedy: “For ghost pipe to survive it needs to become confluent (lose boundaries) with the mycelium of fungus, that in turn becomes confluent with tree roots for its nutrition. The structure above ground melts away when handled – it loses its boundary – hence the plant's other name, wax plant.”

The keywords associated with this remedy are: “Abandoned, snubbed, lonely and rejected when one is cut off from the family (like a cut-off pipe)...A severed tube that connects to the source still has great power but no direction, it becomes weak, vulnerable, separate, and eventually drained dry...Feeling of loss of control leading to intense depressions and panic attacks, questioning one’s sanity.”

The fungal element of the remedy suggests possible themes revolving around a deep seated yet concealed history of abuse. Invasion, penetration, vulnerability, and unclear boundaries lead to a strongly internalized sense of aloneness, separation, and limitations in both space and possibilities. This leads to contempt for humankind as well as a lack of reverence for one’s own life. There are associations of the remedy to severe pathology such as AIDS, epilepsy, cancer, autoimmune diseases, severe anxiety, autism, and dementia.