Our Palo Santo is consciously sourced and collected, whilst respectfully honouring the sacred tradition of smoke cleansing, sustaining the livelihoods of indigenous communities in Ecuador, and working towards an extensive re-forestation programme.
Tradition
Palo Santo (Bursera Graveolens), which translates to ""sacred"" or ""holy"" wood, is a South American sacred tree that can be traced back to the Incan Empire, where it was used in spiritual ceremonies and as a form of medicinal remedy. Today, we can respectfully learn from these cultures and introduce the ancient practice of smoke cleansing into our meditation routines, rituals and ceremonies.
Some of the benefits of working with palo santo are:
Energetic Cleansing
Meditation Focus
Natural Insect & Mosquito Repellent
Origins
Our Palo Santo is collected by an indigenous community in Manabí, Ecuador. We believe that empowering indigenous communities as protectors of the forest is the key to a greener and sustainable future.
Fallen trees and branches of the Palo Santo Tree are let to dry and cure in the forest for a period of five to seven years before being collected, time for the resin to crystallize and reveal this subtle and magical fragrance.
These communities live from the trade of Palo Santo. If they do not find clients for it, they will be forced to cut it down to use the land for corn, livestock, developments, etc. (For example, La Refineria del Pacifico, where around 1000 hectares of trees, including Palo Santo, were cut down for the development of this ""white elephant"" which is abandoned.)
Replantation Program
In the last 4 years, our Ecuadorian partners have reforested over 10,000+ Palo Santo Trees.
In 2020 the plan is to plant 4000 trees native to dry forests across 50 hectares of new forest land. This pilot forest will be open to universities and communities to learn the experience, and mirror it in other areas of the dry-tropical forest of Manabi.