https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ctI3ZiJsgDae7rM

ABOUT THE STUDY

Of the tens of thousands of plants with a documented ethnobotanical use, only a fraction of them have had their specific biochemistry studied. Ghost pipe, a parasitic plant with a long history of traditional medicinal use, is not yet a part of that small fraction. The first part of our study seeks to address this knowledge gap by characterizing the specific chemistry and bioactivity of ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora). The experiments we conduct to test these properties will be directly guided by a public survey documenting the traditional folk uses of this plant, promoting science that is guided by traditional knowledge, and a community connection with which to share the scientific properties we discover.

Additionally, because ghost pipe siphons nutrients from the entire network of species that share the same fungal individual underground (see image below), the question of its bioactivity and biochemistry is more complex than a typical medicinal plant. The second part of our study seeks to understand how differences in primary and secondary host species affects the chemical profile of ghost pipe, and how that in turn affects its medicinal properties.