When we first decided to make ghost pipe extract, we ran into a question that seemed simple:

How concentrated should it be—and how would we know?

We wanted something more informative than “put some ghost pipe in alcohol.” Counting plants did not give me the consistent reference point We were looking for. We wanted a way to compare batches and explain what we were making. We didn’t feel comfortable selling a product that was weaker or stronger that what customers expected.

That question became the starting point for our testing work at Ghost Pipe Botanicals.

Moving From a Recipe to a Measurement

We developed an in-house testing approach using visible spectrophotometry, taking measurements at 685 nanometers.

In straightforward terms, the instrument measures how much light a sample absorbs at a selected wavelength. With suitable reference samples and controlled measurement conditions, absorbance can be used for quantitative comparisons.

Our goal was to establish a repeatable reference for comparing ghost pipe extracts—not simply describe how many plants went into a bottle.

What We Learned From About 100 Samples

During development, we tested approximately 100 samples using fresh harvested Ghost Pipe.

Based on those tests and our comparisons with products from leading vendors on eBay, Etsy, and Amazon, we selected an extract prepared with 7% ghost pipe by weight as an internal reference. This preparation appeared comparable to many of the products we examined.

Products described as containing four ghost pipes per ounce corresponded, in our comparisons, to a 28% preparation—four times our 7% reference concentration.

These were observations from our own work, not a survey of every product available. They do not mean that vendors offering single-, double-, or quadruple-strength products are intentionally misleading customers if their products do not correspond to our respective reference concentrations of 7%, 14%, and 28%.

We chose this reference as a practical starting point: a defined standard against which we could compare subsequent measurements.

A Reference Standard, Not a Claim About the “Right” Dose

We are proposing our benchmark as an informal reference standard for the industry.

It does not establish an ideal dose, prove a health benefit, or mean that a higher reading makes a better product. Its purpose is narrower: to give us and other vendors a testing framework to help produce more consistent extracts.

What the Test Does—and Does Not—Tell Us

Our method compares a sample’s absorbance at 685 nanometers with a reference chart developed by testing multiple ghost pipe preparations at concentrations of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, and 35%.

We do not present that reading as a complete chemical analysis. Measuring absorbance at one wavelength does not, by itself, identify every substance contributing to the reading or establish the concentration of a specific active ingredient.

For the same reason, this measurement is not a certification of authenticity, purity, safety, or medical effectiveness.

Being clear about those limits is part of being transparent.

Why We Test Our Own Products

We use this approach to compare all of our ghost pipe extract batches against the reference we established.

Our intention is to improve batch-to-batch consistency while accounting for the natural variation in foraged materials.

Testing for Other Makers

We also offer this comparative testing service to other vendors.

The goal is not to create a competition in which one extract “passes” and another “fails” simply because their readings differ. The goal is to give makers another piece of information about their products.

Our reports describe:

• The extract’s comparative strength relative to our reference preparations.
• The concentration of alcohol or organic vegetable glycerin.
• The amount of product in the dropper bottle.

This information gives vendors a more precise way to discuss their products without inadvertently misleading customers about their concentration or contents.

Transparency Is the Point

We started this work because we wanted a better answer to a basic question:

What are we putting in this bottle, and how can we describe it responsibly?

Our testing method is one step toward that answer.

At Ghost Pipe Botanicals, our aim is to deliver consistent products and create tools that help other vendors do the same.