Palo Santo or “holy wood”(Burseara graveolens) is a natural wood aromatic incense from a sacred wild tree, native from Peru & Ecuador. Burning Palo Santo (also known as smudging) as part of their ceremonies and healing rituals, through its healing scent and sacred smoke, provide energetic protection, remove bad energy, uplift the mood and bring good luck. It’s one of the most fragrant woods in the world.
How to use Palo Santo?
Hold it at about a 45-degree, light the Palo Santo over an open flame. Take hold of one end of the stick and hold the opposite end to a candle or lighter. Rotate the stick back and forth slowly in the flame. Palo santo is a dense wood that doesn’t burn easily, allow the stick to burn for about 30 secs. Watch for a glowing ember to form at the end of the stick. You can hold it in your hand or place the stick on an incense holder.
Purify Your Space
Smudging can be performed at home, starting at the front door, and moving around the house from there. With a specific intention in mind (often to clear your home from negative energy), focus on every room’s corners where energy tends to be stagnant. You can gently blow on the embers if you want to revive it. When the embers go out, you can simply repeat the ignition process.
Use Palo Santo To Destress & Recenter
The wood’s delicate, calming smoke makes it a perfect addition to a home aromatherapy session. Light a stick and place it in a safe receptacle a few feet away to continue burning. Inhale the scent as you meditate, practice yoga, or simply ease your mind after a long day. Palo santo makes a simple yet exotic alternative to scented candles and ordinary varieties of incense.
Purify Your Aura
Hold the stick in your hands, visualize your intentions. Sit comfortably, guide the stick slowly up and down the length of your body several times, letting the smoke hover a few inches away from you. Imagine your fear, anxiety and anger dissipating with each pass. When you’re done, allow the wood to burn out on its own. Remember to keep the palo santo a safe distance from you at all times.
What you need to know before buying?
There is some misunderstanding about Palo Santo and how it's supposed to burn. Every stick will burn, look, and smell differently depending on where in the tree it came from so don't expect consistency.
Oils Coming From The Wood?
Highly resinous heartwood may drip "oil" from the wood as you light it. When lit on fire it heats the oils inside the wood and releases them and burns off. This creates the fragrance. This is normal. The more resin, the longer you’ll need to let it burn to ignite it properly as the resins burn off. It doesn't mean it's been “dipped in oil”. These are the natural resins inherent in the wood itself.
Dark Smoke?
The other common question is about dark smoke when on fire. Some assume this implies that it was dipped in oil. Not Correct. When you first light the wood it will burn with a black smoke as it is on fire. Once you blow it out you will see the white “cleansing and fragrant” smoke. The heartwood pieces may even look waxy and burn extra dark but are usually the most fragrant.
Won’t Stay Lit?
If the sticks were a little wet, you might have some problems lighting them so make sure to store them dry. Sacred Plants are mostly used for a quick cleansing or ritual and aren’t meant to burn and stay lit for long. You can re-light any time and reuse the stick. To increase smoke time, you can leave it flaming for slightly longer to get an ember going, or you can use a feather to fan the ember.
Sustainably & Ethically Sourced
This Palo Santo is sustainably wild harvested from Peru or Ecuador from naturally fallen trees and branches that lie dead for 4-10 years before they are harvested.