History of Palo Santo Incense: Sacred Smoke from the Americas

Why has Palo Santo been valued for so many years, and why is it still in demand today? 

Palo Santo, which translates to "holy wood" in Spanish, is one of the most prized aromatics of South America. For generations, communities indigenous to the Pacific coast of South America have been using its fragrant smoke in rituals, healing ceremonies, and in everyday life. Today it can be found in some modern practices of wellness, mindfulness rituals, and sustainable collections of incense still carrying on the story from before anyone referred to it as "aromatherapy." 

What Is Palo Santo, Exactly?  

Palo Santo is the wood of the tree Bursera graveolens, which is related to frankincense and myrrh as both are part of the Burseraceae family of plants. These trees grow in the dry tropical forests of Peru, Ecuador, and Central and South America. Unlike many aromatic woods, Palo Santo is never cut from the living tree during traditional harvests. it is reserved for times where the wood is only collected from a natural fallen branch or from trees that have lived and died naturally, often laying on the forest floor for an extended period of years. A period of slow aging allows for the oils inside the wood to develop notes that make Palo Santo distinctive, such as citrusy brightness and warm, resinous depth.

You may consult our Palo Santo incense offerings for sustainably sourced sticks with traditional designations, or explore our entire incense collection for sacred blends.

Ancient Roots in South American Culture

Palo Santo's earliest logs appear in the Inca civilization and indigenous cultures such as the Quechua, Aymara, and coast Casten from Ecuador  (Journal of Ethnopharmacology). It was burnt in temples, homes, and the outdoors to cleanse energies, ward off negativity, and invite blessings. It was used by shamans in healing practices that incorporated spiritual and physical performance of healing, with heelers referring to the smoke as "sweetening" the energy of the person needing healing.

When the Spanish colonizers encountered the distinctive fragrant wood in the 16th century, they translated the name "holy wood" into Spanish. It was eventually involved in Catholic processions and feasts in regions of Latin America, efforting - and hybridizing - the indigenous tradition and colonisers styles of spirituality into a cultural typology.

The Scent and Experience

When it is burned, Palo Santo has a subtle but distinctive aroma – fresh citrus notes reminiscent of lemon and grapefruit overlaid with warm, sweet wood and subtle mint-like freshness. It has been used ceremonially for centuries, and is still used today as incense, and is especially valued:

For calming the mind - to relieve anxiety and create clarity of thought.

For meditative practice - to allow practitioners to settle into a quiet and focused state of mind.

For clearing out energetic space – sitting spiritually and for practical uses of clearing out spaces or grounding.

For lifting mood - the brightness of the scent is frequently referred to as uplifting and grounding at the same time.

How Palo Santo Usage is Expanding Throughout the World Today

While the experience of smudging is at the core of Palo Santo's essence, usage has grown beyond ritual forms of ceremony, for example:

• Meditation and yoga - for the purpose of creating an intentional, peaceful environment or atmosphere

  
  

• Creativity - for writers, artists, musicians, and others who will often burn it when they begin working on a project to get them started and support creativity

  
  

• Energetically cleansing – many will light Palo Santo after arguments, difficult days or before a special occasion so to actively cleanse energetically

  
  

• As a natural scent – through hand-made incense sticks, oils and candles

  
  

Slowly, its uses are growing beyond South America, especially as wellness communities are adopting it into their everyday rituals. Sourcing responsibly is a concern in sourcing Palo Santo.

Sustainability and Ethical Harvesting

Its uses are gradually expanding beyond South America, especially as wellness communities incorporate it into their everyday rituals. When sourcing palo santo responsibly, sustainability and ethical harvesting are a concern.

Sustainability and Ethical Harvesting

For wood to be "true" palo santo, it must be harvested under strict ecologically minded principles. Wood is never harvested when living; rather, wood is only collected after being naturally aged on the forest floor for 3–7 years to build concentrated aromatic oils. There are community governance forestry programs in Peru and Ecuador which provide guarantee that their sourcing, harvesting, and planting, is an integration of indigenous knowledge and teaches sustainable ways of living.

For makers of incense like Calmveda and other companies with value for authenticity, this means working with suppliers who are responsive to the traditional, ecologically minded techniques. The intent is to both protect the tree populations and the cultural practices that have an intrinsic relationship.

The Practicality of Palo Santo in the Modern Age

What makes palo santo useful in a time of synthetics and hustle? It may be its trivialness: just a simple piece of wood - fully formed through time in nature, as bearing the weight of many centuries in its grain. To light to light is to step back, observe the smoke curl, use breath as the vessel to invite in - with warmth of citrus-wood scent - a reminder of how the human is connected in body and spirit to each part of being out in the world.

Whether palo santo incense is offered in a meditative practice because it is a quiet morning, for more collective occasion, or just your own, consuming a moment of quiet contemplation - it is simply what it is - and what it has been for centuries - a sacred threshold between the ordinary world and the sacred.