Palo Santo sticks (Sustainably Sourced)

Superior quality. High resin content.

Palo Santo Sticks translates roughly to "Holy Wood" and its uses are in ceremonial, meditation, space cleaning and yoga. Palo Santo has a warm, woody incense aroma with hints of citrus and spice. Species: Bursera graveolens. 

Our Palo Santo is the sustainable, traceable and supportive using naturally fallen wood only from the Manga Manga Community in north coast of Piura, Peru.

True Palo Santo is the species Bursera graveolens, which grows in Peru and Ecuador. This species is referred to as a species of "Least Concern" with "documented stable populations" by the IUCN. However, the dry forests in which Palo Santo grows plentifully are threatened as they are being cleared for ranching and other agriculture. The fact is that buying traceable Bursera graveolens (like ours), as a high value forest product, prevents forest clearing for lower value, low-yield cattle ranches in this arid climate. Furthermore, our wholesale partner only uses naturally fallen wood and works with the community to plant new trees and supports a women's cooperative which makes handicrafts from the wood.

Our Palo Santo is fully traceable from the Manga Manga community in the Dry North Coast Forest in the Piura region of Peru. Buying Palo Santo this way helps protect this forest against clearing for agriculture. Our wholesaler works with the Peruvian Ministry of Forests (SERFOR) which regulates Palo Santo exports. 

There has been a lot of misunderstanding around Palo Santo recently. The species Bulnesia sarmientoi is sometimes sold as Palo Santo. Bulnesia sarmientoi comes from the Gran Chaco region of South America (Paraguay / Bolivia / Argentina border) and is critically endangered and should not be bought or sold.