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Burning herbs and resins (aromatic tree sap) is one of the oldest form of incense. Long before there were sticks and cones, people would add fragrant botanicals to fire to create beautiful smelling smoke to entice their deities or to please themselves. It is believed this is one of the most powerful means of working with herbs to imbue a space, an object or a person with holy qualities.

The name Palo Santo means "Holy Wood", and what a fitting name that is. The magic of Palo Santo is in the alchemical process that happens after the death of a limb or a tree. You see, in order for the Palo Santo to gain its magical properties it must die, but not just any death only a natural death of a wise old limb or tree. After this death the tree must remain in its natural habitat for 2 to 4 years to complete its metamorphosis. Only then do its sacred and mystical qualities come alive.

Palo Santo has been used for thousands of years in Peru and Ecuador by shamans and healers. Travel today through the Andes Mountains you still find shamans, curanderos, and healers using Palo Santo as part of their ceremonies and healing rituals, evidence that its use more alive than ever in their culture. Increasingly, Palo Santo is finding its way into the rest of the world as one of the great sacred woods of Mother Earth.

It is truly amazing that this Holy Wood can at once, through its scent and sacred smoke, provide energetic protection, remove bad energy, uplift the spirit and bring good luck as well as ethno-botanical uses.

Element Association: Air

Magical Associations: Luck, Protection

Astrological Association: Gemini, Virgo, Aquarius

Planetary Association: Mercury

Mixes Well With: benzoin, copal-black, copal-gold, copal-white, frankincense, iris root, lavender, myrrh, oakmoss, sandalwood, tolu balsam, tonka beans, vanilla, etc.

Product Origin

South America

Palo Santo, Bursera Graveolens, is an aromatic tree native to the Galapagos Islands and the dry forests of South America. In traveling along the coastline of South America’s Pacific coast from Northern Peru to Ecuador one is captured by the perfume of Palo Santo. If you follow the perfume trail you’ll reach the Machalilla National Park, located in the Province of Manabi, on the coastline of Ecuador, where you will find the biggest concentration of Palo Santo trees in all of South America. As in Peru, the Palo Santo tree in Ecuador is protected by the national government and can only be harvested under strict conditions. Shamans Market supports these sustainable practices through its association with Deltatau Palo Santo Foundation of Manabi. When walking the trails of the Machalilla National Park with the sun at its peak, the brackish air from the ocean fills up with the aroma of the Palo Santo resin and you are filled with a sense of peace and tranquility.

How To Use

  1. Hold the stick at an angle and light one end. Let the flame catch for several seconds. Resin-rich pieces may need up to a minute.
  2. Blow the flame out gently and let the sacred smoke rise. Many people move the stick around the room, a person or an object, setting an intention as they go.
  3. Rest it in a heat-proof dish. It goes out on its own after a short while; relight it any time and reuse the stick.

For a longer smoke: let it flame a little longer to build a good ember, fan the ember gently with a feather, or rest the stick on a self-lighting charcoal. For a slow, steady burn, try our Palo Santo cones.

Never leave a lit stick unattended. Keep it away from children, pets and anything flammable, and make sure the ember is fully out.

FAQ

Will every stick be the same?
No. Each stick burns, looks and smells a little differently depending on where in the tree it came from. That variety is part of working with natural wood.

Why does my stick drip oil?
Resin-rich heartwood can release its own natural resin as you light it, and that resin is what creates the fragrance. It’s normal. We import our Palo Santo directly from our partners, and nothing is ever added: no oils, no additives.

Why is the smoke dark at first?
While the stick is flaming, the smoke runs dark. Once you blow it out, you’ll see the white, fragrant smoke. Waxy-looking heartwood pieces may burn darker, but they’re usually the most fragrant.

Why won’t it stay lit?
Palo Santo is traditionally used for a quick cleansing or ritual, not a long burn. See How To Use for tips on getting a longer smoke.

Is your Palo Santo legal and sustainable?
Yes. It comes only from naturally fallen wood. Ecuador wood is AGROCALIDAD certified, and Peru wood is exported under SERFOR with phytosanitary paperwork.

Ecuador or Peru?
Choose Ecuador for slim, even sticks that are easy to carry in a medicine bag. Choose Peru for thicker, more varied pieces with a bold, resinous burn.

How do I store it?
Keep it in its bag in a cool, dry place.

Dimensions

Size Info8–12 sticks, about 4 in long × 3/8 in thick

Palo Santo Sticks

Eco FriendlyEco Friendly
Gives BackGives Back
Regular price $13.50
Country
Size

Frequently Bought Together

Ecuador Palo Santo sticks with 2 oz cotton drawstring bag | I02ec-2oz
Palo Santo Sticks $13.50
Auk Ma Palo Santo Burner 1 | ib94- White Black Tourmaline
Auk Ma Palo Santo Burner$35.00
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Palo Santo, the “holy wood” of the Andes and the Pacific coast, has been burned in ceremony for centuries by the Inca and the Indigenous peoples of South America. Shamans and curanderos still light it today to open sacred plant-spirit ceremonies, call in protection, and clear away heavy energy and misfortune.

Its smoke carries a bright citrus scent over a warm, delicately sweet, rosy-woody base, close to its cousin frankincense. Burn it to bless a new home, to cleanse your space before meditation or ritual, to set an intention, or simply to fill a room with its beautiful aroma.

Only fallen wood. Every stick we sell, from either country, comes from Palo Santo trees and branches that died and fell naturally. The wood then rests on the forest floor for 2–4 years, a quiet curing time that deepens its fragrance, before it is gathered.

From our partners to your altar. We import directly from long-time partners in the tropical dry forests of Ecuador and Peru.

  • Ecuador: from Manabí, where our partners have protected the Palo Santo forest for more than 20 years through the Deltatau Palo Santo Foundation, gathering only fallen wood. In 2023, Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment certified their land as a protected Palo Santo forest. They have replanted more than 12,000 trees, and their work empowers local women, most of them single mothers trained to join the team, while building wealth in the local community. Certified by Ecuador’s AGROCALIDAD.
  • Peru: fully traceable to source and exported under SERFOR, Peru’s national forestry authority, with a SENASA phytosanitary certificate.
Ecuador Peru
Sticks Slim, uniform
About 4" × 3/8"
Thicker, more varied
About 4" × 3/8–5/8"
Thick: up to 7/8"
2 oz bag 8–12 sticks 5–9 sticks
4 oz bag — 10–18 sticks
Thick: 10–12
1 lb bag 70–96 sticks 45–70 sticks

One-pound bags are compostable, and the cotton drawstring bags are reusable.

SKU: i02EC-2oz

More Information

Burning herbs and resins (aromatic tree sap) is one of the oldest form of incense. Long before there were sticks and cones, people would add fragrant botanicals to fire to create beautiful smelling smoke to entice their deities or to please themselves. It is believed this is one of the most powerful means of working with herbs to imbue a space, an object or a person with holy qualities.

The name Palo Santo means "Holy Wood", and what a fitting name that is. The magic of Palo Santo is in the alchemical process that happens after the death of a limb or a tree. You see, in order for the Palo Santo to gain its magical properties it must die, but not just any death only a natural death of a wise old limb or tree. After this death the tree must remain in its natural habitat for 2 to 4 years to complete its metamorphosis. Only then do its sacred and mystical qualities come alive.

Palo Santo has been used for thousands of years in Peru and Ecuador by shamans and healers. Travel today through the Andes Mountains you still find shamans, curanderos, and healers using Palo Santo as part of their ceremonies and healing rituals, evidence that its use more alive than ever in their culture. Increasingly, Palo Santo is finding its way into the rest of the world as one of the great sacred woods of Mother Earth.

It is truly amazing that this Holy Wood can at once, through its scent and sacred smoke, provide energetic protection, remove bad energy, uplift the spirit and bring good luck as well as ethno-botanical uses.

Element Association: Air

Magical Associations: Luck, Protection

Astrological Association: Gemini, Virgo, Aquarius

Planetary Association: Mercury

Mixes Well With: benzoin, copal-black, copal-gold, copal-white, frankincense, iris root, lavender, myrrh, oakmoss, sandalwood, tolu balsam, tonka beans, vanilla, etc.

Product Origin

South America

Palo Santo, Bursera Graveolens, is an aromatic tree native to the Galapagos Islands and the dry forests of South America. In traveling along the coastline of South America’s Pacific coast from Northern Peru to Ecuador one is captured by the perfume of Palo Santo. If you follow the perfume trail you’ll reach the Machalilla National Park, located in the Province of Manabi, on the coastline of Ecuador, where you will find the biggest concentration of Palo Santo trees in all of South America. As in Peru, the Palo Santo tree in Ecuador is protected by the national government and can only be harvested under strict conditions. Shamans Market supports these sustainable practices through its association with Deltatau Palo Santo Foundation of Manabi. When walking the trails of the Machalilla National Park with the sun at its peak, the brackish air from the ocean fills up with the aroma of the Palo Santo resin and you are filled with a sense of peace and tranquility.

How To Use

  1. Hold the stick at an angle and light one end. Let the flame catch for several seconds. Resin-rich pieces may need up to a minute.
  2. Blow the flame out gently and let the sacred smoke rise. Many people move the stick around the room, a person or an object, setting an intention as they go.
  3. Rest it in a heat-proof dish. It goes out on its own after a short while; relight it any time and reuse the stick.

For a longer smoke: let it flame a little longer to build a good ember, fan the ember gently with a feather, or rest the stick on a self-lighting charcoal. For a slow, steady burn, try our Palo Santo cones.

Never leave a lit stick unattended. Keep it away from children, pets and anything flammable, and make sure the ember is fully out.

FAQ

Will every stick be the same?
No. Each stick burns, looks and smells a little differently depending on where in the tree it came from. That variety is part of working with natural wood.

Why does my stick drip oil?
Resin-rich heartwood can release its own natural resin as you light it, and that resin is what creates the fragrance. It’s normal. We import our Palo Santo directly from our partners, and nothing is ever added: no oils, no additives.

Why is the smoke dark at first?
While the stick is flaming, the smoke runs dark. Once you blow it out, you’ll see the white, fragrant smoke. Waxy-looking heartwood pieces may burn darker, but they’re usually the most fragrant.

Why won’t it stay lit?
Palo Santo is traditionally used for a quick cleansing or ritual, not a long burn. See How To Use for tips on getting a longer smoke.

Is your Palo Santo legal and sustainable?
Yes. It comes only from naturally fallen wood. Ecuador wood is AGROCALIDAD certified, and Peru wood is exported under SERFOR with phytosanitary paperwork.

Ecuador or Peru?
Choose Ecuador for slim, even sticks that are easy to carry in a medicine bag. Choose Peru for thicker, more varied pieces with a bold, resinous burn.

How do I store it?
Keep it in its bag in a cool, dry place.

Dimensions

Size Info8–12 sticks, about 4 in long × 3/8 in thick
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