When an essential oils lover says, “Holy smoke !” they might not be exclaiming in surprise or amazement. They might be talking about palo santo.
An exotic oil that dates back to the time of the Incas, palo santo is the Spanish name for Bursera graveolens and means ‘holy or sacred wood’ (‘wood of the saints’), so it’s plain to see how highly it was esteemed. Sharing the same botanical family as frankincense, it is likewise considered to be a spiritual oil used for purifying and cleansing the air of negativity.
Palo santo features prominently in folk lore and traditional use in South America where it has long been used to produce burning sticks and incense.
Trivia tip: Did you know the word ‘perfume’ comes from the Latin for ‘per fumem’ or ‘through smoke’? The origins of modern perfume are seated in ancient traditions of burning aromatics for their medicinal qualities along with their fragrance.
Just as white sage is oft quoted as a lovely herb to burn for cleansing the home of negative energies, so palo santo can be considered. Diffusing its essential oil, though, is a much more convenient, safe and efficient way of creating the effect without setting off your smoke alarms — not to mention easier to access for those of us who don’t have palo santo branches lying around nearby. (To order this beautiful spiritual oil, please head here.)
Palo santo is steam distilled from the sawdust of dead bark, wood and branches. And it’s one of the essential oils produced at Young Living’s farm in the Guayaquil, Ecuador.
I love that Young Living has its own farms. Their commitment and connection to the land and process from seed to seal is like none other. And the respect and support of locals in the communities around the Young Living farms is beautiful to see. And if you love goats, even more reason to visit the Guayaquil farm. So darned cute !
Life on the Young Living Ecuador Farm
So which constituents are found in genuine, authentic palo santo essential oil ?
This oil is high in limonene, which you might have heard of lately as it’s gaining increasing publicity for its potential benefits. I highly recommend looking into it further, and a thorough essential oils reference book will have great information and research, too. Chemistry can be pretty dry in isolation, but when you put it to practical use like learning how a particular chemical constituent has been found to influence biology, it will help you to understand how an essential oil with that constituent can work in the body.
Next highest is alpha-terpineol if you want to continue your research further. I could go on, as oils are complex and have an array of consituents that make up their science-backed magic, but exploring these two key constituents will help you understand a lot.
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In South America, ‘holy wood’ is used to ward off mossies. So when you’re diffusing Young Living Palo Santo at home for genuine natural air cleansing and freshening, you’ll be freshening your spirits and sending mozzies a smoke-free signal to head elsewhere. As we’re heading into Aussie summer here, I’m glad I reminded myself of this !
Palo santo is one of the oils included in Young Living’s Transformation™ blend, also ideally suited to diffusing. And if you’re fresh out of Deep Relief Roll-on, palo santo with a dash of authentic peppermint will help tired muscles. Essential oils are potent, so please follow directions on the bottle and the usual guidelines for safe use of authentic essential oils.
Key takeaways
‘holy wood’ and its incense traditionally used for cleansing and purifying air and spirits
known to deter mosquitos
great diffused and can be applied topically to chakras and energy points or general location
