Palo Santo has long been used for spiritual cleansing, emotional balance, and grounding. Learn what makes it special and how to use it with care and intention.
By Sergio Toledo
Editor-in-Chief, Heed to Heal
Introduction
There’s something deeply comforting about certain scents. They linger in the air and settle into your spirit, softening the atmosphere around you. Palo Santo is one of those scents. Its name means “holy wood,” and it has been used for centuries as a spiritual and emotional tool. Whether you’re lighting it to cleanse your space or simply enjoying the calm it brings, Palo Santo has a way of shifting the energy in quiet, powerful ways.
For many, burning Palo Santo is part of a self-care practice. It’s used during meditation, journaling, or when it simply feels like something heavy needs to be cleared. While it’s often sold alongside sage or incense, Palo Santo has its own unique story, scent, and energy. It offers something both grounding and uplifting, a blend of earthiness and light that feels steady and soothing.
This article explores what Palo Santo is, where it comes from, and why it continues to hold a meaningful place in people’s lives. Whether you’ve used it before or are just curious, it can be helpful to understand how it works, what it represents, and how to use it respectfully and intentionally.
The Roots and Rituals of Palo Santo
Palo Santo comes from a tree native to South America, particularly in countries like Peru, Ecuador, and parts of Venezuela. The wood is not harvested from living trees. Instead, it is collected only after the tree has naturally fallen and aged for several years. This process allows the oils and aroma to deepen, making the scent richer and more distinct once burned.
Traditionally, Palo Santo has been used in Indigenous ceremonies for spiritual cleansing and protection. The smoke is believed to help clear negative energy, support healing, and invite peace. Today, many people use it to bring clarity to their homes, set intentions, or simply mark a quiet moment of transition.
Using Palo Santo is more than just lighting a stick of wood. It can be part of a gentle ritual. You might open a window, speak an intention aloud, or move slowly through each room as the smoke curls softly in the air. These small actions help make the experience feel mindful and rooted, not rushed or mechanical. The process becomes its own form of grounding.
Why People Reach for Palo Santo
In times of stress or emotional overwhelm, Palo Santo offers a way to reset. The scent itself is warm and slightly citrusy, with a depth that lingers long after the stick has stopped burning. For many, that aroma becomes associated with calm. It marks a break in the day, a pause, a moment to come back to yourself.
Burning Palo Santo can become a signal to slow down. It helps create a physical environment that supports emotional regulation. Whether you’re meditating, cleaning your space, or just trying to clear your head, the gentle ritual of lighting Palo Santo can become a tool for returning to presence.
For people who are sensitive to energy or easily affected by their environment, Palo Santo may feel like a way to shift the tone of a room. It doesn’t fix what’s heavy, but it helps clear space for new energy to arrive. That feeling alone can bring comfort, especially when life feels overwhelming or disjointed.
Using It with Care and Intention
As with anything sacred, it’s important to approach Palo Santo with respect. Because it has cultural and spiritual significance, being mindful of how you use it matters. Learning about its origins and sourcing your Palo Santo ethically is a way to show reverence for its history and for the land it comes from.
Ethical brands will often state that their Palo Santo is harvested from naturally fallen trees and that the collection process supports the environment and local communities. Supporting those sources helps protect the tree itself and ensures that the practice remains rooted in sustainability.
You don’t need to overcomplicate the ritual. Light the stick, let it burn for a few seconds, then blow it out and allow the smoke to rise. Sit with it quietly or walk through your space with intention. Let the scent settle into the room. Let your thoughts slow down. Let yourself be present. Palo Santo is not magic, but it is meaningful. And sometimes, that meaning is exactly what you need to soften your day and feel connected again.
References
- National Geographic. (2022). The Cultural Roots and Environmental Impact of Palo Santo
- Greater Good Magazine. (2023). Rituals That Ground Us
- Verywell Mind. (2021). The Psychology of Scent and Emotional Well-Being
Originally published by Heed to Heal, 10.07.2025, under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license.
