If you’ve picked up a lovely sweet, musky citrus scent wafting in the air at your local yoga studio or New Age shop, chances are it was Palo Santo.
Palo Santo, which means “holy wood” or “wood of the saints”, is a mystical tree that grows on the coast of South America and is related to Frankincense, Myrrh, and Copal.
Burning these sticks is a sacred practice used by Indigenous communities of the Andes to cleanse their space and ward off evil spirits. This practice is called smudging – a spiritual practice where you clear your energy fields using a piece of burning Palo Santo or a herb bundle, such as white sage.
Palo Santo is part of the citrus family and has very pleasant sweet notes of pine, mint, and lemon.