Palo Santo: Its Uses and Benefits

We have been lucky enough to find some of the most extraordinary Palo Santo we have ever experienced. It is such a pleasure to share this sacred and beautiful aromatic gift with you. Like Frankincense, once you bring it into your life you will wonder how you did without it.

 Through the years Palo has been a mystery that has slowly revealed itself to us. It is one of those medicine plants that teaches you, and the its blessing is many faceted. It took many trials to find this wood and at last we can say with surety, it is the some of the very best. Even if you have tried other sources for Palo Santo before, try this one, it is special….

 Good Palo has an amazingly sweet scent….the sandalwood of the Americas. Plus it promotes and enhances healing, well being and all spiritual endeavors. It is a “use everyday” medicine and can be a great ally. 

Learn to use it daily . It’s scent is universal medicine, always agreeable , helpful, uplifting and cleansing

From Katlyn: We have in our home every kind of incense you can imagine, yet it is Palo Santo we burned everyday ...It always feels right for any time of day in any in any room in your house. Palo Santo is a tree with a strong spirit, always uplifting, healing and  "making sweet the world". 

About Palo Santo  “Holy Wood”

  - When Spanish monks discovered the wood and experienced its ability to cleanse and heal, they named the tree “palo santo,” which means “holy wood” or “the wood of the saints.” The scientific name of this tree that grows in the South American rainforest is bursera graveolens, or “a bag of oil” and the naturally aromatic wood from this truly unique tree is used as incense for energetic and healing purposes.

- There are male and female trees and their scents can vary in depth and richness. Palo santo trees grow in families of one male and eight females. The lifespan of an average female tree is 40-50 years, and its wood is yellow, solid and heavy. Male trees, on the other hand, can live up to 200 years and their wood is white, hollow, fragile and light.

 - Palo Santo trees should never be cut down for their wood. The tree must first die naturally and rest on the forest floor for at least three years before its wood can be harvested. Today, the ancient wisdom is confirmed by science, as studies show that oil extracted from felled trees does not possess all of the therapeutic qualities possessed by those that fell naturally.

- Keep some in your backpack - It is widely used as an excellent insect repellent.

 - Palo Santo shavings (about teaspoon per cup of water) can also be simmered in hot water and drunk as a tea.  Great for calming the immune and nervous systems for faster recovery of illness.

 - Some say that an attraction to the aroma of Palo Santo is a sign of emotional and spiritual clarity.

How to burn and use Palo Santo Sticks

 Palo Santo promotes and enhances healing, well being and all spiritual endeavors. It is a “use everyday” medicine and can be a great ally.To light the Palo, hold a piece of wood at 45 degree angle pointing down, and light the tip with a jet flame lighter or candle until there is a small flame. Just hold a flame to the end of the stick until it catches fire and begin to smolder. When you see that it is alight and glowing with an ember (may take a moment to two) wave the flame out and the let the sweet smoke rise. You can carry it around the room or just place it lit side up a bowl or cup dedicated to this purpose.It will go out on its own. Each stick can be reused several times until it is all gone.

- To light the Palo, hold a piece of wood slightly upside down (45 degree angle) and light the tip with the jet flame lighter or candle until there is a small flame. Just hold a flame to the end of the stick  and it will catch fire and begin to smolder. When you see that it is alight and glowing with an ember (may take a moment to two) wave the flame out and the let the sweet smoke rise. You can carry it around the room or just place it lit side up a bowl or cup dedicated to this purpose.

It will go out on its own. Each stick can be reused several times until it is all gone.

 - Palo sticks only burn for a short time with each lighting, but that is enough to clear and scent a space. That also means that you will never get “smoked out” like with other smudge herbs. The stick will go out by itself after lighting, you never need to worry about extinguishing it.

 - We like to use a small re-fillable jet flame lighter like the ones used for pipes and cigars. They allow you light the stick quickly and completely. A regular lighter or candle flame is fine, but they take a more time to light the wood.

Here is our personal favorite lighter:

- It is nice to have several small ceramic clay bowls or cups half filled with sand or pebbles to hold a stick or two of wood and lighter around your home. We have one in the kitchen and the bathroom to clear and purify the air of odors and bacteria. One in the office to reduce stress and “bad vibes”. One in the living room to bless the home and all who enter. Collecting lovely and meaningful vessels to hold your Palo can add to the décor of your home as well as serving a useful function.

-  Palo works well in sickness and in health. You will discover that, unlike other incense , the Palo in small amounts really helps, even if you have respiratory ailments.

It’s scent is universal medicine, always agreeable , helpful, uplifting and cleansing.

Energetic Benefits –

  - While some smudging herbs are used solely to cleanse a space from negative energy and others are then used to attract positive energy, Palo Santo is rare in that it does both at the same time. It both purifies and attracts positive energy. Palo santo’s spirit is often generous with its healing powers as its smoke enters the energy field of those it reaches to clear negative thoughts and misfortune. It is through the process of burning, much like smudging herbs and incense, that it releases the sacred wood’s oils that cleanse the space and people it comes into contact with, attracting positive energy, and even healing people on both physical and more subtle levels.