Description
Palo santo
Palo santo – Bursera graveolens is used by medicine-men and shamans at ayahuasca ceremonies, rituals, healing and cleansing sessions. It has a surprisingly strong and sweet smell when burned, which is why palo santo is used as incense.
Use
Burning a small piece of wood gives a peaceful warm atmosphere and leads you into a pleasant relaxed state of mind.
Palo santo is available in different forms. You can use it as:
- Wood. The wood of the palo santo tree is available as sticks, chips, or powder. It usually comes from the branches of the tree, so it’s 100 percent wood.
- Resin. Palo santo wood contains a very aromatic resin, which can be extracted and used separately.
- Oil. The essential oil of palo santo can be derived from the wood and fruit.
Palo santo benefits
Palo santo is associated with several medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Reportedly, it can do the following.Palo santo – Bursera graveolens .
Repel mosquitos
Traditionally, palo santo is widely used to repel mosquitos. It’s also said to deter ants, termites, and flies.
There may be some merit to this claim. According to a 2012 studyTrusted Source, palo santo essential oil is mainly composed of limonene. Limonene is a substance with insecticide properties, so it’s used in natural insect repellants.
However, there isn’t hard evidence to support this benefit. More research is necessary to determine how palo santo affects mosquitos.
Reduce pain
Another supposed benefit is pain relief. People use palo santo to treat different types of pain, including:
Again, this effect may be related to limonene. A 2017 reviewTrusted Source states the substance has analgesic (pain-relieving) and anti-inflammatory properties.
Limonene can provide relief by inhibiting certain neuronal pathways, according to a 2016 studyTrusted Source on animals.
There’s no hard proof that palo santo has this effect, though. The benefit is theoretical and anecdotal, so additional research is needed.
Improve stress response
Many people find the aroma of palo santo relaxing, so it’s commonly used to ease stress. It’s thought to have a purifying, cleansing effect on the body and mind.
This might also be due to limonene. In a 2013 animal studyTrusted Source, inhaled limonene exhibited anti-stress and anti-anxiety properties.
A 2014 studyTrusted Source also found that ingested limonene decreased signs of stress in rats.
Despite these findings, human studies are needed to determine how palo santo affects stress.
Depending on the form, palo santo is used in different ways.
Palo santo oil uses
Typically, palo santo oil is inhaled during aromatherapy. This method is often used while doing yoga, meditating, or performing other stress-relieving activities.
The oil can also be applied to your skin. This technique is usually used for treating pain.
Palo santo wood uses
The wood is burned as incense. As it burns, it releases aromatic smoke into the air. Palo santo chips and powder are used in the same way.
Palo santo resin uses
Like palo santo wood, the resin is used as incense. It’s a placed on a heated charcoal disc in a resin burner, which releases the resin’s aroma.
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