By Christina Weidmann
Palo Santo
The history and effects of Palo Salo, the sacred wood from South America
Palo Santo – a traditional custom
Palo Santo is a sacred wood that grows on the coast of South America and has been ritualized for centuries by the native shamans of the Andes and the Amazon. The wood exudes a unique scent with notes of incense, pine and citrus. Known for its calming and cleansing properties, Palo Santo expels bad energy from rooms and leaves behind its deep, comforting scent. How to use Palo Santo? Take a piece of Palo Santo in your hand and light the other end of the wood with a long match or candle: Hold the sacred wood at a 45 degree angle, light it, let it burn for about 10 seconds and then blow the Flame out gently, lighting up an orange ember and developing a fine smoke. Now you can start cleaning your room. Walk slowly through the room while gently waving the Palo Santo wood through the air until the embers are extinguished. You can use a ceramic or marble bowl to catch any falling ash and let the burned-out stick rest in it.
The decisive difference: the sustainable cultivation and dismantling
When buying Palo Santo, you should make sure that you get the wood from a trustworthy source. Unfortunately, the increasing popularity of Palo Santo sticks has a dark side: In order to meet demand, forests in South America are being illegally cut down to obtain the wood. This no longer has anything to do with sacred wood. We work with a German partner who has personally been traveling to Peru for over a decade to buy Palo Santo there from sustainable cultivation and traditional processing. Straight from the descendants of Native Americans.
Palo Santo alternatives
In addition to the classic Palo Santo woods for lighting and smoking, we have discovered two great alternatives that are lovingly made from organic ingredients in London. With the Palo Santo room spray and the Palo Santo fragrance oil, Ume offers a great way to celebrate the unique scent of sacred wood as a pocket ritual. This is particularly useful when you are in a hurry or when you are traveling and want to cleanse the hotel room of bad energies.