Palo santo: what it is for and how to use its incense and essential oil

The palo santo or palo de santo (Bursera graveolens) is a tropical tree of which the old wood is used, which is burned to produce incense. Palo santo incense is widely used to purify the home environment and in shamanic practices, but it also has medicinal properties and can be used to treat digestive and dermatological problemsamong others.

The palo santo tree grows naturally from the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico to Peru, in dry and open forests. It is also found in different varieties, some endemic, in the Galapagos Islandswhere it forms beautiful and dense forests on the volcanic soil.

It’s a tree between 4 and 17 meters high, with silvery gray bark, much branched. The German explorer Humboldt was the first European to describe it for the first time, in 1824, and found that indigenous peoples used its wood a lot, especially for their shamanic or religious rites. With palo santo wood they made objects of worship, figures and, above all, incense sticks, which they burned in these ceremonies, as a means of to ward off evil spirits. The use of palo santo incense was a tradition among the Incas, the Jíbaros, the Quechuas and the Aymara, among other native peoples of the area.

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Now, the wood of other tropical trees is also sometimes used for traditional and industrial purposes under the name of palo santo, such as the amazon palo santoand this can create confusion.

The wood of the palo santo is hard and resistant.and once treated, presents a yellowish brown and a bright tone. The leaves are also used and, to a much lesser extent, the flowers.

Palo santo properties

The wood of the palo santo is rich in resin and essential oil with limonene, carvone, alpha-terpineol, pulegone and other volatile substances. This essential oil is used in aromatherapy and is characterized by an intense, slightly citrusy and pleasant fragrance.

The palo santo is used, above all, in the form of incense sticks to burn, he essential oil for external use in massage and the chopped wood in decoction.

The palo santo is attributed sedative properties, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiseptic, flavoring, cleansing and diuretic. It is also considered a good insect repellent.

How to burn palo santo

Palo santo is burned in the same way as incense:

Take a stick of palo santo and light it with a match or lighter. Keep the stick tilted and let it burn for a minute or less. Then, blow to extinguish the flame and place the palo santo in a censer, charcoal or similar so that it spreads the beneficial smoke, which has a light or whitish. Better not leave the room while it is running to be able to control its evolution.

The bar can be used again if it has not been consumed.

what is the palo santo used for

Depending on which presentation we choose, we can give the palo santo different uses and applications.

palo santo incense

Palo santo incense or palo santo sticks, easy to find in herbalists and natural product centers, is burned in censers to:

Aromatize the rooms and eliminate bad odors. Combat nervous states and stress. Facilitate meditation.

Besides can be useful to repel insectsespecially to keep mosquitoes and flies away, in the afternoons and nights of spring and summer.

The burned wood, the ashes, had been used as a traditional remedy to heal skin wounds and relieve pain from insect bites.

palo santo essential oil

The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation and is always used topically.

The essential oil, mixed with vegetable oil such as almond or similar, is used externally to treat skin conditionssuch as eczema, pimples, hives, sores or ulcers.As a massage or added to the bath, is intended to mitigate muscle and neuralgic pain. It is recommended for athletes, walkers, long-distance runners, hikers, climbers and other groups that subject their bodies to a high physical demand, as a muscle toner. It is also indicated externally on joint pain, arthritis and osteoarthritis. It is also intended, again by topical route, to alleviate some symptoms of menstrual, premenstrual and menopausal painsuch as spasmodic pain, back and lower back pain, migraine, fatigue and nervous irritability.

Infusion of palo santo

The palo santo is prepared in decoction, boiling the chopped wood.

The decoction of palo santo wood is used to relieve digestive disorders, upset stomach and bloating, nausea and nervous indigestion. The wood in decoction is also applied in the form of inhalations to treat respiratory conditionssuch as flu, colds, and asthmatic episodes.

How is the palo santo found

We can find palo santo in various presentations:

Bags with palo santo wood incense sticksPacks with palo santo incense sticks in cardboard casesPalo santo candlesPalo santo sticks or braceletsPalo santo essential oil bottlesPalo santo resin for burningSprays, diffusers and aromatizers with palo santoSoap bars that contain essence of palo santo

Contraindications of palo santo

One has to avoid continuous, prolonged or constant exposure to the smoke of this or any incense. We must use it responsibly. We must not expose these fumes to babies and children under 3 years.

There are cases of people to whom these fumes cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and malaise general. It should be taken into account.

And its use should be avoided if you have severe lung problemssuch as chronic pneumonia or respiratory failure.