Sustainable cultivation Palo Santo

Palo Santo Natural Incense
-from sustainable cultivation-

What is Palo Santo? Discover the sale of palo santo on terzaluna.com

The Palo Santo is an incense obtained from the wood of Bursera Graveolens, a tree from South America, which mainly grows in Ecuador. It comes in sticks made from the bark of trees that have already fallen naturally to the ground. The fresh palo santo wood does not have the pleasant odor that characterizes Palo Santo incense. It seems that this happens because the wood, once on the ground, develops a particular mold that contributes to the much-appreciated fragrance of Palo Santo.

Palo Santo: Plant

The Palo Santo tree, known as Bursera Graveolens from which the incense sticks are derived, is mainly cultivated in Peru and Ecuador, but it absorbs different properties depending on the specific area where it is grown. It owes its name to a legend that claims its peak flowering occurs during Christmas, it can reach a height of 18 meters and is characterized by small leaves and green fruits. For the production of the resin necessary for the correct use of the plant, it must be at least 10 years old. Additionally, only dead trees dried on the ground are used, from which it continues to absorb nutrients, necessarily limiting production.

Palo Santo from Terza Luna: from sustainable cultivation

The Palo Santo imported by Terza Luna comes from the province of Manabí in Ecuador, our supplier has a beautiful story: he is an Italian, Dante, who has been living in Ecuador for about 30 years, about 20 years ago he founded his company with which he collects Palo Santo in controlled forests, for about 10 years he has been carrying out numerous reforestation projects in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of Ecuador.
His company is ISO9000 certified, the wood he uses comes from forests in the Manabí area where Palo Santo naturally grows in environments free of any pesticides or fertilizers.
The sticks are handcrafted, from excellent raw material, by Dante's large family business where the keyword is inclusivity and help for the weaker ones.
The salary of the people who work here is higher than the average in the area.
The proximity to the sea makes Ecuador's Palo Santo much more aromatic and balsamic than the Peruvian one that normally grows taller.

History and Curiosities

The botanical description of the Palo Santo tree ("holy wood") took place only in 1824 following a German expedition to the Americas, but it was already known and used for centuries by South American populations.

Scent of Palo Santo

The scent of palo santo is unique, reminiscent of the pine, mint, and lemon aroma. The odor of palo santo is given by the combustion of the essential oils present inside it, which become increasingly aromatic over time due to the presence of a particular mold that develops in Palo Santo trees once they have died naturally. It differs from the classic intense ones both in aroma and quality. In fact, palo santo wood is 100% natural as it is obtained from trees of the same plant once they have died and fallen to the ground. There are no additives of any kind to help preserve the scent of Palo Santo incense.

Palo Santo: Properties and Benefits

Many are familiar with palo santo for its numerous beneficial properties that it brings to the body through its use. We will list some of them below:

• Helps to find a peaceful mood. It is burned to regain good mood thanks to its aroma that gives a sense of serenity and tranquility;
• Purifies the environment. This is one of the most popular uses. In this case, palo santo incense sticks are burned during meditation ceremonies to ward off negativity dispersed in the environment;
• Helps to reduce stress. The use of palo santo sticks is also recommended in case of strong stress as it is known that their use helps to harmonize inner balance;
• Relief against respiratory problems. Widely used to alleviate problems related to the respiratory tract such as asthma attacks, cough, and cold;
• Moisturizing properties. Palo santo in sticks is also used to combat skin irritations, dry skin, and dandruff, effectively moisturizing the skin;
• Natural pain reliever. It is used, especially in massages, as a natural pain reliever for joint and muscle pain;
• Repels insects. Once burned, palo santo sticks release an annoying aroma to many insects including mosquitoes;

Palo Santo: Uses

The use of palo santo in history is varied: from medical uses to spiritual ones. Palo santo, due to its aroma and its properties, has been adopted by the indigenous populations of South America for medical purposes, used in the form of fumigations, during religious rites, prayers, and celebrations. In ancient times, the uses of palo santo were the most varied: from the ability to inspire creativity to bringing good luck and love to anyone touched by its characteristic white smoke.

Purifying Home

One of the most common uses of palo santo lies in its ability to purify the surrounding environments. It is used during meditation practices at home, as it promotes relaxation and concentration, and also to ward off bad odors.

Herbalism

Palo santo is often used in the field of herbalism thanks to the many beneficial effects that its use has on our body. It is recommended for relieving respiratory problems, such as colds, coughs, and asthma attacks. Furthermore, thanks to its ability to provide a sense of peace, it is considered an excellent anxiolytic and antidepressant.

Palo Santo and Mosquitoes

A common mistake concerns the relationship between palo santo and mosquitoes. Many claim that palo santo is an excellent repellent against mosquitoes, but this is not the case. There is no evidence to support this claim. There are many anti-mosquito incenses, but palo santo is not among them; in fact, there are those who claim that it even attracts them.

Esoteric Use

In various cultures, it is used to ward off evil spiritual entities, especially in the case of people with mood or depression problems, as well as during some religious and traditional rituals.

Palo Santo: How to Use?

Here are some simple instructions for using palo santo and for learning how to light it and learn how to burn palo santo correctly.

How to Light Palo Santo

When you want to light the palo santo, it is good to remember that the wood should be protected as much as possible, without subjecting it to excessive sources of fire to avoid burning it so much that it carbonizes. To do this, we should use the flame in a balanced way. First, light the palo santo with a flame. Let the flame burn the palo santo for about thirty seconds, after which gently blow on the fire to extinguish it and let the smoke spread in the environment.

How to Keep it Lit

You will notice that the palo santo will easily go out. To avoid this, occasionally revive the censer with the flame or with your breath, allowing it to continue emitting the characteristic white smoke.

Common Mistakes and Wrong Ways to Burn Palo Santo

Many people contact us to ask for advice on how to use palo santo.

"Palo Santo goes out"

Many write to us saying that the palo santo goes out. This is completely normal. The little sticks of palo santo need to be relit with some frequency. Unlike incense sticks or resin, palo santo does not remain lit for long, unless you constantly blow on it. So don't worry if you can't keep the palo santo lit for long, and if it goes out, it's very normal.

"Palo Santo produces black smoke"

If burning our palo santo produces black smoke, we are making a mistake in its lighting. As we mentioned earlier on this page, we should not keep the flame in contact with the wood for too long, as this would cause our stick to burn too quickly, consuming the essential oils inside and resulting in black smoke. Remember to use the flame moderately and to blow on the lit censer to keep the palo santo lit, preserving the essential oils inside.

"How to Extinguish Palo Santo"

One of the most common mistakes in burning palo santo is to invade the majority of the palo santo stick with the flame, believing that this will release the characteristic scent and active ingredients. By doing this, you will achieve the opposite effect as you will have completely burned the stick, turning it black, which does not release any scent and you would want to extinguish. As we have seen, the correct way to burn it is to slowly approach it to the flame, extinguish it, and repeat the process two or three times. Many ask us how they can correctly extinguish the palo santo. Once lit with the right procedure, simply shake it lightly to extinguish the flame, but it will continue to burn and release its pleasant scent.

How to Store Palo Santo

Although one of the characteristics of palo santo is its ability to maintain the beneficial properties and sensory characteristics without the use of added preservatives, if stored incorrectly there is a risk that over time it will lose its aroma. The right way to store palo santo, if you have decided to use palo santo sticks, our advice is to close them in an airtight container or in a glass jar to preserve the characteristic aroma for longer.

Palo Santo: Contraindications

Another advantage of palo santo is its almost total absence of contraindications or side effects. However, it is always good to make sure that it does not cause allergic reactions or undesired effects, especially if you decide to opt for essential oils instead of palo santo sticks, perhaps by testing it with a few drops on your arm.

Curiosity: Palo Santo and Cats

One of the most interesting curiosities about palo santo concerns our four-legged friends. In fact, many people ask us if the aroma of palo santo incense can bother our cats. While in some cases this may be true, especially for stronger scents, on the contrary, cats seem to really appreciate the aroma of incense released by palo santo. Furthermore, this represents a valid solution to eliminate odors from our pets. The aroma of palo santo seems to be very appreciated as it does not contain any chemical substances, being 100% natural, that could bother or harm their health.

Palo Santo: Where to Buy?

There are many people who contact us complaining about the difficulty in being able to buy palo santo in their cities, such as Milan, Rome, Turin, Bologna, Prato and other major locations. For this reason, Terza Luna offers the possibility to buy 100% natural palo santo, of high quality, in its online store.

Price

In the online shop, you can purchase sustainable palo santo of high quality in the 15 gr package containing 2 or 3 sticks capable of releasing a pleasant incense scent, much loved for finding our serenity, at the price of 5.90 euros.

Wholesale Palo Santo

If you are looking for palo santo for sale in wholesale, Terza Luna is the right place for you. In fact, we supply dozens of shops and businesses throughout Italy selling palo santo wholesale. If you are interested in purchasing large quantities of palo santo, do not hesitate to contact us. Or register in the reserved area for bars and commercial activities (green button in the top right of all pages) and check out the offers dedicated to you.