Palo Santo Sticks

Holy wood, gathered in Peru and burned much the way it has been for centuries. The smoke is warm and lightly sweet, with a citrus edge and a resinous depth that settles into a room and lingers long after the ember has gone out.

Where it comes from

Palo santo is Bursera graveolens, a tree from the dry forests of South America. It sits in the same plant family as frankincense and myrrh, which tells you a lot about the scent before you've even lit it.

A living palo santo tree barely smells of anything. The aromatic resin only builds up in the heartwood after the tree has died naturally and spent years resting on the forest floor. Ours comes from Peru, where only naturally fallen wood can be collected and no living trees are cut for it.

You may have seen posts saying palo santo is endangered. That's a different tree that happens to share the same common name, a dense hardwood called Bulnesia sarmientoi. The incense wood is currently listed as least concern.

How it has been used

Andean healers were burning palo santo as far back as the Inca era, lighting it in ceremony to clear heavy energy from a space and settle everyone before prayer or healing work.

Centuries on, people reach for it for much the same reason. At the end of a long day, before yoga or meditation, or when a room simply needs resetting.

How to light it

Hold a flame to the tip for around 30 seconds, until it has properly caught. Blow the flame out and let the ember smoulder, carrying the stick around the room or leaving it to rest.

It will go out on its own after a minute or two, so it needs somewhere safe to sit while it does. Our handcrafted Solis holder was made for exactly that, with a dip in the centre to catch the ember and the ash.

One stick can be relit again and again, so you will get plenty of uses out of it before it is spent.

Choose your bundle

1 stick, £3

3 sticks, £8

6 sticks, £14

10 sticks, £20

Good to know

Every stick is a piece of natural wood, so the size, colour and amount of visible resin will vary from one to the next. The heavier the resin veining, the richer the smoke.

Burn on a heatproof surface or in a proper holder, keep it well away from anything that might catch, and never leave a lit stick unattended or within reach of children and pets. Smoke of any kind can bother sensitive airways, so open a window while you burn it and go gently if anyone in the house is asthmatic.