Medicinal Uses Of Indian Pipe - Pain Killer

One of the biggest fears people have about dealing with a SHTF situation is the possibility of having to endure great pain from an injury without having access to any pain killers. Well, there is good news on this front and it goes by the name of Indian Pipe. Probably the strongest natural pain killer you will find growing in North America.

Indian pipe (Monotropa uniflora) aka ghost plant is a crazy strange plant that has absolutely no chlorophyll. The plant resembles a mushroom in this regard, but I assure you it is indeed a perennial plant. Indian Pipe has white stem and grows in the temperate forest of Asia, North America and South America. Most often it is seen sprouting after a summer rain.

Indian Pipe will put out a small pink flower and the plant is very small indeed. So, you will be looking for a white plant that has the height of a typical mushroom. The plant often sprouts in small clusters. The plant will not stick around long. It will soon disappear. So keep this in mind and make every effort to collect the plant soon after its discovery. If you come back even a day or two later you risk the possibility that it will be gone.

However, do not pick the plant until you have returned with some drinking alcohol to preserve it for later use. The plant's medical uses come in the form of a tincture. A tincture is usually an alcohol based solution. So, if you find this plant, return as quickly as possible with a small sealable container that has a strong solution of alcohol.

The entire plant holds the pain killing abilities. I suggest that you only harvest the above ground portion so that this rare perennial plant is not killed. If numerous plants can be located it is best to only pick a few from each cluster and leave the others to maintain a population in your area.

The tincture is made by dropping the whole plant you have harvested into a small jar of alcohol. The plant must be freshly picked. Do not transport the plant to the alcohol! Bring the alcohol to the plant! Simply drop the pinched off plants into the alcohol and seal it. Over time the tincture will turn a purplish color. If this happens you can be relatively confident that your tincture was a success. Store the tincture in a cool dark place for future use.

For small pains a drop or three of the tincture will be all that is needed. More can be taken orally as the severity of the injury increases.