Palo Santo

The Palo Santo: the "sacred wood" of South America

"Palo Santo" means "holy wood" or "sacred wood" in Spanish. It comes exclusively from the Bursera Graveolens tree which belongs to the same botanical family as the Myrrh and the Oliban. Bursera Graveolens is endemic to South America. It is found mainly on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, in Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Brazil.

Its use in spiritual rites dates back to the Incas! Shamans practiced fumigation rituals similar to those of native Americans with white sage. The smoke of Palo Santo, and its divine scent made it possible to drive out negativity, but also to facilitate communication with the gods. It was also granted medicinal virtues: the essence of Palo Santo made it possible to cure certain skin diseases, or to heal wounds. Dermatologists nowadays believe that its properties are due to its high concentration of limonene.

The regular consumers of Palo Santo are looking above all for its particular fragrance, which they know how to recognize between a thousand. Its woody and balsamic aromas help to establish a relaxing and harmonious atmosphere in a place.

Palo Santo comes most often in the form of sticks (or logs), or wood chips (or "chips"). It is also sometimes found in the form of natural incense or even indoor perfume vaporizers,the latter having the advantage of not requiring combustion.

How to use Palo Santo?

To perfume your interior with Palo Santo, light the stick (or chips, placed in a non-flammable container) with a lighter or match and then let it burn for about 30 seconds. The Palo Santo burn longer than the white sage before extinguishing the flame. Then allow the wood to burn gently, in a suitable container, until it is completely reduced to ashes. Be sure to ventilate the room in which you burn the Palo Santo (keep a window ajar), so as not to inhale too much smoke.

To practice a fumigation and purification ritual with Palo Santo, the process is exactly the same as with white sage, see our description above.

That's it, you know everything about white sage and Palo Santo! Coco Papaya puts its products, but also its advice and its know-how as an importer at your disposal so that you can easily find the best quality, at the best prices!

Magic rituals aren't your cup of tea? So why not try your hand at a meditation session with scents conducive to well-being?