Palo Santo: Benefits, Risks and Uses

Palo Santo is a fascinating tree that grows on the South American coast. It is related to the Frankincense, Copal and Myrrh family of sacred trees. Palo Santo in Spanish means “holy wood”, a wild and mystical tree native in Peru, Venezuela, and Mexico.

Palo Santo is rich in essentials oils that has been time and again used for therapeutic and spiritual purposes. In the article below, we will discuss the significance, benefits, risks, and uses of this mystical tree.

What is the Significance of Palo Santo?

Palo Santo belongs to the Burseraceae family in the Kingdom Plantae. It is categorised close to the frankincense and myrrh that are equally sacred trees as Palo Santo. The former two sacred trees are famous for the value of its resin while Palo Santo is known for its wood. The trees of Palo Santo are not cut down until it dies and fall naturally. Two years after its natural death, the tree matures completely and emit its characteristic aroma and provide beneficial health properties.

Holy Wood, or Palo Santo, has been used since centuries for multiple purposes. It is a traditional tree that has been benefitted from most by the indigenous tribes of South America. Tribes of Incas and Andes have used it for spiritual rituals and had strong beliefs that Palo Santo cleanses bad energy and keeps one safe from the evil spirits.

What are the Benefits of Palo Santo?

Enlisted below are some of the benefits of the widely used Palo Santo tree.

1. Therapeutic Benefits

Relieving Inflammation – The therapeutic benefits of Palo Santo are several. Palo Santo is loaded with a chemical constituent known as limonene. Limonene is well-studied and known by scientists for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. It makes Palo Santo a useful natural element for chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and various autoimmune disorders.

Pain Relief - The wood of Palo Santo is a useful remedy to relieve pain such as headache, aching sore muscles and pain due to inflammatory conditions.

Respiratory Cure – The essential oil of Palo Santo is widely used for clearing the respiratory tract by gently massaging the chest upwards, expelling the excess mucus, and clearing the airways. It also reduces the symptoms of cold and flu.

2. Rich Aroma

It is the most popular benefits of Palo Santo. The wood of Palo Santo upon burning releases uplifting smoke that is pleasant on the senses and provide the following benefits.

Mood Uplifting – The rich aroma of burning wood of Palo Santo trees provide warmth and calms the senses. The pleasant scents paves way for mental clarity and provides peace of mind. Palo Santo reduces the stress and thus popularly used in meditation and massaging practices where a piece of word is made to burn in the corner of the room during relaxation time.

Soul Cleansing – According to the traditional beliefs surrounding Palo Santo, it is meant to cleanse the soul of bad energy. The wood of Palo Santo is made to burn for purifying the soul and warding off evil spirits. Its use is thus popular in spiritual rituals and practices.

3. Spiritual Purposes

Palo Santo was named as Holy Wood, that must be for some interesting reasons!

Palo Santo is popularly used for practices that aim to provide healing and good energy. It cleanses an individual’s soul and remove negative thinking from the mind.  The burning wood of Palo Santo enhances the meditation and spiritual practices that feel like connecting with pure spirits and reaching the peak of tranquillity. It deepens the spiritual communication with the divine nature and ensure protection against evil spirits and negative energy.

What are the Risks and Considerations of Palo Santo?

It is crucial to understand the risks and considerations of Palo Santo after admiring it for its benefits. Enlisted below are the risks and considerations associated with the use of this sacred tree.

1. Sensitivity and Allergy

The wood and extracts of Palo Santo trees contain potent chemical constituents that may trigger allergic reactions in the susceptible populations. Individuals with known allergies must take a patch test before incorporating Palo Santo into their routine uses. Individuals with existent skin allergies or respiratory illnesses and allergies must be wary of essential oils and burning wood of Palo Santo as it may trigger allergies and result in unwanted outcomes in sensitive individuals.

2. Prematurely Harvested Trees

The increase in popularity and demand of Palo Santo trees has led to its unlawful cutting down and harvesting. The benefits of Palo Santo trees are only received after a year of its falling down to the ground, certain groups and organisations may illegally cut down the trees and process it for deriving the highly demanded health benefits of Palo Santo. This has raised a concern against the overharvesting of Palo Santo trees that damages the environment and compromises on the consumer’s expectations of benefits as well since the process of derivation was not natural. It is important to confirm the source before consuming Palo Santo based products and ensure that it was from an ethical supplier that did not cut down the trees prematurely.  

3. Improper Handling

The health benefits of burning the wood of Palo Santo are many that often makes individuals go overboard while consuming it. Burning too much wood of a tree, be it Palo Santo or any other beneficial tree, cause respiratory irritation. It is especially threatening for respiratory health of individuals with existent medical conditions. It is essential to use it moderately and ensure proper ventilation especially in cases where the wood of Palo Santo is burnt abundantly for spiritual purposes.

What are the Uses of Palo Santo?

The uses of Palo Santo are many that depends on the form of its availability. It is available in the form of wood, resin, and essential oil. The various forms of Palo Santo have various uses as mentioned below.

1. Burning its Wood

The most conventional method of benefitting from Palo Santo is burning its wood. A small stick of wood of Palo Santo is lit with a lighter and placed in a glass tray while it releases its smoke for a long time. The burning stick releases smoke that is pleasant and calming for the senses. The scent of burning stick of Palo Santo is widely used in aromatherapy (the technique of achieving health benefits using rich aroma) as well.

2. Essential Oil

The essential oil extract from Palo Santo trees also emits pleasant smells. It is in liquid from that makes it a useful addition to diffusers to fill the room with its rich aroma. The essential oil of Palo Santo is often mixed with carrier oils (such as almond and coconut oil) and used for topical applications on the skin undergoing inflammation or irritation. Its anti-inflammatory properties are gentle on the skin and soothes it from irritations. Palo Santo oil is also used in chest massage to relieve the airways of excess mucus and treat respiratory conditions such as cough and cold. It is easy to carry around in a small bottle to be inhaled anytime anywhere to relieve stress and anxiety while enjoying its pleasant smell.

3. Derived Resin

The resin derived from trees of Palo Santo have similar uses as that of its essential oil and wood. It is made to burn on a charcoal disk to inhale its pleasant aroma. The resin of Palo Santo is also included in balms for topical applications to benefit from its healthy properties.

People Also Ask

Is Palo Santo safe to use in routine?

Yes, Palo Santo is safe to use in routine, however, precautions regarding its use are often given beforehand. Avoid direct inhaling from the flames of burning stick of Palo Santo wood as it causes respiratory discomfort in susceptible populations. Moreover, take a patch test before opting for routine use of essential oils from Palo Santo as it has potent chemical constituents that may trigger skin irritation in individuals experiencing existent skin allergies.

Is Palo Santo a remedy for allergic reactions?

Yes, Palo Santo has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant chemical constituents that is a suitable natural remedy for allergic reactions, including asthma and eczema. It can be incorporated in the diet as well that must soothe digestive complaints. The pleasant smoke of burning sticks of Palo Santo woods provide great relief to the respiratory tract upon inhalation and wards off any irritants that may appear before it.

Conclusion

Palo Santo is a fascinating tree that grows on the South American coast. It is related to the Frankincense, Copal and Myrrh family of sacred trees. Palo Santo is rich in essentials oils that has been time and again used for therapeutic and spiritual purposes. The trees of Palo Santo are not cut down until it dies and fall naturally. Two years after its natural death, the tree matures completely and emit its characteristic aroma and provide beneficial health properties. Palo Santo is loaded with a chemical constituent known as limonene. Limonene is well-studied and known by scientists for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics. It makes Palo Santo a useful natural element for chronic inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and various autoimmune disorders. The pleasant scents paves way for mental clarity and provides peace of mind. Palo Santo reduces the stress and thus popularly used in meditation and massaging practices where a piece of word is made to burn in the corner of the room during relaxation time.

The essential oil extract from Palo Santo trees also emits pleasant smells. It is in liquid from that makes it a useful addition to diffusers to fill the room with its rich aroma. The essential oil of Palo Santo is often mixed with carrier oils (such as almond and coconut oil) and used for topical applications on the skin undergoing inflammation or irritation.

The wood and extracts of Palo Santo trees contain potent chemical constituents that may trigger allergic reactions in the susceptible populations. Individuals with known allergies must take a patch test before incorporating Palo Santo into their routine uses. Burning too much wood of a tree, be it Palo Santo or any other beneficial tree, cause respiratory irritation. It is especially threatening for respiratory health of individuals with existent medical conditions. It is essential to use it moderately and ensure proper ventilation especially in cases where the wood of Palo Santo is burnt abundantly for spiritual purposes.