Where Does Palo Santo Come From?
Palo santo comes from Ecuador’s dry tropical forests. Rarely living longer than a century, its journey from seed to fallen tree can teach us much about our own.
To fully appreciate its many benefits, we must first understand the ecosystem where it grows. The dry tropical forest of Ecuador’s coastal highlands receives unpredictable rains.
Palo Santo’s cycles of growth, rooting, and fruiting mirror the region’s cycles of winter storms, spring fog, and blazing sun.
How Does It Grow?
In years when the rains come heavy, the trees devote most of their energy to growth. They produce leaves in groups of seven during especially wet years.
In moderately rainy years, they produce leaves in groups of five, while in years of drought, they produce leaves in groups of three.
Through this unique attunement to natural rhythms, it can survive droughts that kill less hardy trees.
It’s easy to see why those who work closely with palo santo in its natural habitat develop deep reverence for it.
These magical trees have memory, measuring cycles of growth and dormancy in collaboration with the seasons.
Does It Produce Fruit?
Drawing on the deep roots it extended through the soil in wetter times, female palo santo trees actually produce more fruit during periods of drought.
The small black seeds are covered by a red pulp in a green capsule. The two halves of the capsule fall off when the fruit is ripe, leaving behind a wildlife-friendly fruit that is rich in medicinal lipids.
Is Sacred Wood Essence Palo Santo Potent and Sustainable?
Next time you hold a Sacred Wood Essence smudge stick in your hand, inspect the grains in the wood. You will notice variations in thickness from one line to the next, one rainy season to the next.
Feel the relationship between yourself and the forest. Envision the cycles of rain and sun, the seed waiting to sprout, and the grandmother tree curing for up to a decade on the forest floor.
Palo Santo from Sacred Wood Essence. Sustainable. Grown and harvested in harmony. With reverence. For ages past and ages yet to come.