What Is Palo Santo? The Holy Wood of the Andes

On the dry forest floors of South America, beneath trees that may have stood for half a century, lies a wood the people of the Andes call holy. It is not cut from the tree. It is gathered, years after a branch has come to rest on the ground, once the tree has let it go of its own accord. Lit and then gently blown out, it releases a sweet, resinous smoke that has been part of ceremony and prayer in Peru and Ecuador since the time of the Inca. This is palo santo.

Palo santo has become one of the most loved, and most misunderstood, natural incenses in the world. This guide gathers everything in one place: what it is, what it smells like, how to use it, the truth about whether it is endangered, and why the way it is gathered matters more than almost anything else about it.

What is palo santo?

Palo santo (Bursera graveolens) is an aromatic wood native to the seasonally dry tropical forests of South America, from Mexico down through Ecuador and Peru. Its name is Spanish for "holy wood", or "wood of the saints", said to have been given by Spanish missionaries who saw how deeply the indigenous peoples revered it. It belongs to the same fragrant botanical family as frankincense and myrrh. For centuries the indigenous peoples of the region, and the shamans of the Andes, have burned it as a natural incense and smudge stick: in ceremony, for cleansing a space, and before meditation.

What makes palo santo unusual is that its fragrance is not really present in the living tree. It develops slowly, over years, in wood that has fallen naturally and aged on the forest floor. More on that below, because it is the key to everything else.

What does palo santo smell like?

Palo santo has a scent quite unlike any other wood. It is warm and sweet, with bright citrus notes lifting over a deep, resinous, almost balsamic base, and a soft breath of pine. As it burns, the smoke carries a fresh, uplifting sweetness with an earthy warmth underneath. Much of that bright, citrus-like lift comes from limonene, a natural aromatic compound also found in citrus peel, sitting over the deeper resins of the wood. Because these oils settle unevenly through the wood, no two sticks are ever quite the same, and a single stick may smell a little different from one lighting to the next.

Why does the ageing of palo santo matter?

This is the heart of the palo santo story. It is a very hard, dense wood, and when a tree dies naturally or a limb falls, that wood must be left undisturbed on the forest floor for at least three to four years. The forest does the work: over those years termites and weather slowly clear away the softer outer wood, leaving the dense, resin-rich heartwood behind, and the aromatic oils within it grow richer and more refined. Properly aged wood darkens and shows fine amber streaks, where wood taken too soon stays pale and holds little scent.

Here is the part that surprises people: the wood's aromatic oils will not develop in a limb cut from a living tree, or if the tree is felled. A freshly cut palo santo simply does not carry the fragrance. This single fact is why ethical sourcing matters so much. Only naturally fallen, properly aged wood holds the true scent, and cutting living trees produces an inferior wood while harming the forest for nothing.

Is palo santo endangered?

This is where most of the confusion lies, so it is worth being precise. The palo santo used for incense, Bursera graveolens, is listed by the IUCN as Least Concern¹, and it is not listed under CITES, the international convention that governs trade in endangered species. It is widespread across its range, from Mexico to Peru.

The "endangered" reputation comes largely from a case of mistaken identity. A completely different tree, Bulnesia sarmientoi, is also commonly called palo santo, sometimes "Argentine palo santo". It grows in the Gran Chaco of South America, it is genuinely endangered, and it is listed under CITES Appendix II². The two trees are often spoken of as though they were one.

There is a further nuance worth knowing, because the science is still unfolding. Recent genetic research suggests that what we call Bursera graveolens may in fact be several closely related species rather than a single one, and that some local populations are in decline, which is part of why reforestation work is now under way in its native range. The broad species is not endangered, but nor is it a tree to take for granted.

The deeper concern, in truth, is the forest itself. Palo santo grows in the seasonally dry tropical forests of the Neotropics, among the most threatened habitats on earth, far more so than the tree that grows within them. This is exactly why how the wood is gathered matters so much. In Peru the national forest authority, SERFOR, prohibits the cutting of living Bursera graveolens trees, so that only wood which has already fallen and aged naturally may be collected. Gathering fallen wood with care, and supporting those who protect and replant the forest, looks after the whole living system, not a single tree alone.

How do you use palo santo?

Palo santo comes in two main forms: the wood sticks, which are burned, and the essential oil, which is used for its aroma alone.

To burn a stick, hold it pointing downward at roughly a 45 degree angle and light the tip. Let it catch into a small flame, allow it to burn for twenty to thirty seconds, then gently blow it out. The wood will glow and release its fragrant smoke, and the same stick can be relit again and again. To scent a room, walk slowly with the smouldering stick, holding a small fireproof bowl beneath it to catch any ash. When you are finished, rest the end in a little sand to put it out.

Unlike a manufactured joss stick, pure palo santo wood will not burn continuously. Commercial incense sticks are made from powders and a binder; this is simply aged wood, relit as needed.

The oil offers the same aroma without smoke. A few drops in a diffuser will scent a whole room, or a single drop on the hands or a tissue carries the fragrance with you, a gentle alternative to burning the wood.

How is palo santo traditionally used?

In the traditions of the Andes, palo santo is regarded as a wood of transformation. In indigenous belief its spirit is said to live on in the wood long after the tree itself has died, which is part of why it is treated with such reverence. It is burned for cleansing and grounding: to clear stagnant or heavy energy from a space or a person, to create a settled and protected atmosphere, before meditation, and to mark the thresholds of life, its passages and new beginnings. Many people still reach for it in just this way, when the energy of a room or a moment feels stuck and in need of a gentle shift toward clarity and calm. We share this as traditional and ceremonial context, rather than as any claim about health.

Palo santo vs white sage: what is the difference?

Palo santo and white sage are often mentioned in the same breath, because both have long been burned for cleansing a space. They are very different, though, and the differences are worth knowing.

White sage (Salvia apiana) is a herb native to California and the south-western United States, burned in loose bundles. It is sacred to several Native American peoples, and both overharvesting and the sensitivity of using a closed cultural practice have led many people to step back from it.

Palo santo is a wood rather than a herb, gathered from naturally fallen branches in South America. Its smoke is sweeter and more citrusy, where sage is sharper and more herbaceous. For anyone who finds sage too strong, or who would rather use a wood gathered without cutting a living plant, palo santo is a gentle and fragrant alternative. And where smudging with white sage is, for some peoples, a closed ceremonial tradition, the ceremonial use of palo santo in South America has long been an open and shared one. Whichever you choose, it is worth knowing where it has come from and how it was gathered.

Where does Na'vi's palo santo come from?

Our palo santo comes from Peru, gathered only from wood that has fallen naturally and aged on the forest floor. We work with an organisation that partners with local communities who honour the wood as a valued and important part of Andean culture, collecting, splitting and trading it with respect. Our wood sticks are hand-graded for a high resin content, kept 100% pure with nothing added, and the small thin pieces are left out of our ceremonial packs. Our essential oil is distilled by a producer who works from the berries of the tree rather than the wood, so the living tree keeps growing and fruiting, and no trees are cut at all.

Sourcing this way does more than spare the trees. Fair payment to the communities who gather the wood gives the standing forest a worth greater than the land would hold if it were cleared for farming, and the best programmes plant new trees to replace what is taken. The forest, in the end, is worth far more alive.

Common questions about palo santo

Is palo santo safe to burn indoors?

Yes, with the usual care you would take with anything alight. Burn it in a well aired room, always rest it in a fireproof dish, never leave it unattended, and make sure the ember is fully out when you have finished. As with any smoke, anyone with asthma or a respiratory sensitivity may prefer the oil in a diffuser.

Can you reuse a palo santo stick?

Yes. A single stick can be lit many times over. Each time, simply relight the tip, let it smoke for a moment, and blow it out again. One stick will last a good while before it is spent.

What is the difference between palo santo wood and palo santo oil?

The wood is burned, and gives you the smoke and the small ritual of lighting it. The oil gives you the same warm, resinous aroma without any smoke, through a diffuser or on a tissue. Many people keep both: the wood for ceremony, the oil for scenting a room day to day.

Is burning palo santo cultural appropriation?

It is a fair question to ask of any sacred practice that travels beyond its home. Unlike the closed ceremonial traditions of some peoples, the use of palo santo in South America has historically been an open and shared one. Even so, using it thoughtfully, with some understanding of where it comes from and respect for that heritage, is part of using it well. Buying from sources that support the communities who gather it, and that take only naturally fallen wood, is the most meaningful way to honour its origins.

Does palo santo expire?

No. Kept well, palo santo only improves with age. Store it in a cool, dry place with the packaging sealed so the wood does not dry out, and it will hold its fragrance for years.

A wood worth knowing

Palo santo asks a little more of us than a manufactured incense does. It asks that we know what it is, that we light it with a little patience, and above all that we care where it came from. Gathered as it should be, from wood the forest has already let fall, it is one of the most beautiful natural fragrances there is, and a small daily ritual of clearing and calm that people have turned to for a very long time.

Explore our palo santo, both gathered from naturally fallen wood in Peru:

• Palo Santo Wood Incense Sticks, hand-graded for a high resin content, for burning.
• Palo Santo Essential Oil, distilled from the berries so no trees are cut, for the diffuser.

Or browse the full Natural Incenses and Essential Oils collections.

References

1. Martinez Salas E, Samain M-S (2019). Bursera graveolens. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: Least Concern. iucnredlist.org
2. CITES (2010). Bulnesia sarmientoi: listed in Appendix II. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. cites.org

Written by Ellie May, a researcher and writer who studies traditional plant, fungi and mineral knowledge, and a guest writer for Na'vi Organics. She writes longer guides on medicinal mushrooms, tonic herbs and Ayurvedic traditions, drawing on both scientific research and folklore. Ellie is a researcher and writer, not a medical practitioner, and nothing here is medical advice. Published 16 June 2026.