If you are used to practicing fumigations and purification rituals in your home, you have surely already heard of Palo Santo. But do you know all the benefits of this sacred wood originating from South America? We will explain to you how to use palo santo wood and enjoy its many virtues.
The palo santo is a wood that is burned to purify the air but also to ward off negative energies and evil spirits.
This wood comes from a tree native to South America: the Bulnesia sarmientoi. This species grows naturally in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest and in other countries in South America such as Ecuador, Bolivia, Mato Grosso in Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, and northern Argentina.
In Spanish, the expression palo santo literally means "holy stick". It is also called the sacred wood because it was already used by Inca shamans like incense during religious rituals.
Palo Santo is attributed with spiritual as well as medicinal virtues. In South America, this sacred wood is considered a remedy, thanks in particular to its high limonene content.
Traditionally, Palo Santo essential oil is used to treat skin or muscle problems, and decoctions of its bark are used to relieve stomach pains. Local traditional medicine even attributes medicinal virtues to the soot from burning this wood and uses it to treat external wounds.
This wood also has several spiritual virtues: Inca shamans used it to communicate with the gods, attract luck, and ward off any signs of negativity. Today, Palo Santo is mainly used for smudging and to purify space on a physical and spiritual level.
It is said that this wood purifies and cleanses negative energies, attracts protection and luck into the home, and naturally eliminates insects and bad odors. This smudging with its woody and balsamic scent also promotes calmness and mental clarity. This is why some people have the habit of burning a stick of Palo Santo before practicing meditation or yoga.
Palo Santo wood is used like incense:
• light the stick with a match or a lighter.
• let the end burn for at least 30 seconds before extinguishing the flame by vigorously shaking the stick.
• walk around the room or space to be purified while holding the smoking stick in your hand.
• then place the stick in a non-flammable container until it extinguishes on its own.
Each stick of this wood can be reused multiple times. To fully benefit from the purifying virtues of this fragrant smoke, do not rush through this fumigation!
Take the time to practice this purification ritual by focusing your intention on the smoke rising from the stick and reciting, if you wish, a mantra like Om Shanti (a prayer for peace).
Once your ritual is complete and the stick has extinguished, remember to open the windows to ventilate the space well.
Another possible use is to purchase a support carved from this sacred wood. Fans of lithotherapy use Palo Santo supports to recharge selenite supports, which are used to recharge different stones.