Palo Sano

Description

To the indigenous populations of South America, the wood of the palo santo tree has sacred meaning.  Palo santo, or more specifically, Bursea graveolens, is native to Peru and Ecuador but can be found throughout the Americas from Mexico to the Galapagos Islands.1  Ceremonial uses by shamans to cleanse, protect, and heal dates back to the Incan Empire.2

It is the wood of the tree that most people seek.  While the tree physically resembles the madrone tree commonly found in the United States, it is actually part of the citrus family and is related to frankincense and myrrh.  Its wood has a pleasurable smell with notes of pine, mint, and lemon3  and contains a high concentration of d-limonene.   D-limonene is the same aromatic molecule found in citrus and frankincense.

Palo santo means “wood of the saints” or “holy wood” in Spanish.  The wood of the tree is cut into small sticks to use for smudging.  People find the smoke clears away negative energy, cleanses the air, and provides a pleasurable centering and grounding aroma perfect for meditation. Others burn the wood simply as a pleasant aromatic, to reduce unwanted orders, and to repel mosquitoes and other flying insects.