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Palo Santo bars

Wood, Bar from Ecuador (SKU 4578)

These Palo Santo bars are neatly cut big square sticks of resinous Palo Santo wood. Harvested from naturally fallen trees in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Available in bulk quantities. More information about Palo Santo can be found below.

Each stick is cut at approximately 10 cm long and is 1 x 1 cm thick, and weighs approximately 7 grams.

Qty

max: 1


Palo Santo has a long tradition of healing and ceremonial uses in different cultures throughout the South American, African, and Asian continent. Palo Santo is very popular in South America and highly valued by shamans since thousands of years for its powerful healing assets.

The smoke can either be inhaled or used as fumigant to cure, tranquillise, and cleanse. It has an exceptionally peaceful, woodsy and comforting scent that carries a strong energy of healing and purification. Its wide range of enjoyable aromatic notes are unique and uncharacteristic to any single aromatic component. It is physically grounding and stabilizing, and it will release negative emotions and energies. In addition, Palo Santo can be used as a tea, and as an alcohol extract. The oral consumption is assumed to tranquillise and to accelerate and support healing. Moreover, the essential oil of the Palo Santo tree has many applications in aromatherapy.

Only naturally fallen wood produces the strong resinous character and the sweet, woody odour that Palo Santo is well known for. The oil increases in strength with increasing time of being dead, as the resin will only migrate into the heartwood when the wood dies and ages. Thus, the highest quality oil and the most odorous wood is obtained from trees that are fallen over for a long period of time. Palo Santo trees live for about 80-90 years and to develop its spiritual and odorous properties, the dead tree has to age for about 4 – 10 years to. The trees are growing wild and are used only in small sustainable quantities and without impacting on the environment. The exportation and supply is, in addition, restricted and supervised by the government to insure the longevity and safety of the trees and to prevent living trees from being cut.

An extensive article on the Palo Santo tree and it's uses can be found here.

Other names: Bursera graveolens, Palo de la vida o Santo, Sacred Wood, Holy wood, St. Anthony`s wood, Palosanto, Mallka Waki. Blanks

In the shamanic tradition, shredded or powdered Palo Santo is burned on charcoal discs. Yet, the simplest way is to burn Palo Santo by holding the stick at a 45 degree angle and lightening the end of the stick with a flame or lighter. Allow the wood to burn for a moment (roughly 30 seconds), and then blow out the flame and continue blowing a few times to increase the glow and smoke. While the wood is smoking, walk through all areas that need cleansing and spread the fumes. When you finished fumigating, leave the wood in a fireproof bowel or plate.

The incense, Palo Santo or "Holy Wood" (Bursera graveolens), originates from a short, dense tree that belongs to the Burseraceae or Torchwood family – a family that also includes myrrh and frankincense (Boswellia carteri). The Burseraceae family typically displays fragrant oleo-gum resins that come from the tree heartwood and are consequently burned as incense due to their ethereal odor (Langenheim 2003). Even though the wood is primarily used as incense or to extract essential oils, also the leaves, fruit, bark and roots are harvested and used. The trees grow in dry, tropical forests, like the Andean region, and are native to Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, the Gallapagos Islands, and the Gran Chaco region (northern Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and the Brazilian Mato Grosso). The tree has a soft wood and only carries green leaves in the wet season; it grows preferably close to river banks, and is often inhabited by Brazilian fire ants that protect the holy tree from invaders.

The sweet woodsy Palo Santo scent comes from its aromatic ingredients that are composed of d-limonene, alpha-terpineol, carvone (Crowley 1964), phenolic compounds, flavonoids, quinones, antocyanidines, and also several unidentified agarofurans (Yukawa et al. 2004), which are found in the aged heartwood. Sesquiterpene viridiflorol is the main compound (~71%) contained in the holy Wood. 

For those who love to experiment with the alchemy of combined scents, Palo Santo goes very well with the following incenses: Sweetgrass (Hierochloe odorata), White Sage (Salvia apiana) and Copal (Dacryoides peruviana).

Crowley KJ. J. Chem. Soc., 1964; 4254.

Yukawa C, Iwabuchi H, Kamikawa T, Komemushi S, Sawabe A (2004).Terpenoids of the volatile oil of Bursera graveolens. Flavour Fragr. J. 2004; 19: 565–570.

This item is not allowed in the following countries:

Taiwan

This is a natural product, used as incense or in perfumery, or as an ingredient of incense and other perfumery or potpourri preparations.
Some incense plants or products may have some history of other folklore purposes, but we offer this product for its use as incense. Not food grade, not for consumption.

Please read our Terms & Conditions before placing your order.

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