Everything you need to know about Palo Santo 🆙

If you've ever walked through a craft fair, you might have been enchanted by a fresh scent of greenery that seemed unlike anything you've ever felt. It was probably the scent of palo-santo that was filling his nostrils. Next, learn everything you need to know about it.

Palo-Santo is a wood that, when burned, releases a very characteristic aroma and considered magical by many people. In Spanish, palo-santo means “enchanted wood”. This name carries all the most common uses of this element of nature. Used by Inca peoples, indigenous people and healers, the splinters of the palo-santo tree could be harvested in regions of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Spain.

Ancient civilizations believed that burning the splinters of the palo-santo tree released a healing smoke, capable of promoting cleansing the body and spirit. Thus, it was common for palo-santo to be used in purification rituals and ceremonies. Trees of this type live to be 90 years old in most cases, and the fragrant resin can only be removed at least four years after the natural death of the plant, so the process to obtain palo-santo with magical properties can be quite time consuming. .

Currently, this gift of nature can be found all over the world, in the form of incense, essential oils and in the wood chips themselves, which can be burned by anyone who performs the procedure safely. It is also possible to find flavorings with palo-santo essence. They say that the use of the plant can bring protection and spiritual cleansing to an environment or a person, but it doesn't stop there. Find out what other uses of palo-santo are and how it can be good for you.

What is palo santo for?

Palo-Santo, in the form of oil or incense, is capable of benefiting both the physical and emotional aspects of a person. Scientifically, we can analyze the composition of palo-santo to understand how each substance released by wood smoke or by contact with oil helps us.

Limonene is an ingredient that is present in 62,8% of palo-santo. There is evidence that it can prevent cancer, but its main role is in its calming potential, which reduces anxiety, and in stimulating creativity, which favors a quick solution to various problems. In the spiritual realm, limonene is responsible for warding off negative energies from an environment.

Everything you need to know about Palo Santo — **Daniela Mackova / Pixabay**

Terpineol is another component of palo-santo that can improve a person's physical health. It strengthens immunity, acts against fungi and bacteria and works as a tonic. Regarding what it can bring in a mental aspect, terpineol can bring a sense of balance and well-being to those who use palo-santo on a routine basis.

The last component present in large quantities in palo-santo is menthofuran. In physical health, it is an ally in nasal decongestion and can act as an antiviral, depending on the disease. Other benefits that menthofuran brings are improved concentration and clarity of thoughts, which can help with problem solving.

How to use palo santo?

Now that you know the benefits that palo-santo can bring to your health, practice the correct way to use it as incense and as an essential oil.

If you have a sliver of palo-santo, it will be used as incense, so you should hold it by one end and burn the other side. You will notice that this burning process is a little time consuming, but keep putting on fire. Keep the splinter burning for 30 seconds and only then extinguish.

With the palo-santo smoking, walk through the room you want to purify. Say a prayer out loud or say what you want to achieve. Ask for good energies and a spiritual cleansing of the environment. It is important that you also carry smoke onto the floor and into hidden corners of the room.

You can still take advantage of the smoke to purify your energies. Stand up straight and start spreading the smoke through your feet, all over your body, all the way to your head. It is possible that the palo-santo will turn off a few times during the process, but just turn it on again if it happens. At the end of the process, you should not stop the wood burning. Place it in a metal or ceramic bowl and let it fade naturally.

To use palo-santo essential oil, you just need to put a few drops on your hand, spread them on your arms and palms, so all the good energies that the wood releases will circulate through you. If you have an air freshener with palo-santo in your composition, spread it around the room weekly to preserve the cleanliness of the place where you live or work.

Some people also use palo-santo smoke to purify crystals, stones, pendulums or objects that are used for magical purposes. In this case, you can also drip a little of the essential oil on a cloth and gently rub the pieces.

How can palo-santo help in the treatment of depression?

A person who is diagnosed with depression should undergo medical follow-up to find out which medication to take and to undergo therapy, seeking to understand what is causing the depressive thoughts and feelings. Once that person has already gone through this process and is following regular treatment, palo-santo can be an ally.

As this wood is known to promote the spiritual cleansing of those who come in contact with it, the use of palo-santo in the form of essential oil or incense will allow the negative feelings and thoughts that the person with depression is harboring to be gradually removed. .

In addition, she may feel more motivated to perform daily activities, having more creativity to solve problems and more concentration to dedicate herself to what is good for her. Although palo-santo is harmless to your health, it is important that you speak with the professional who is following your treatment for depression to understand if you can use it as an adjunct to your healing process.