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The ancient practice of smudging, or burning herbs for their smoke, has been used for centuries by Indigenous People in North America. Today, this practice is gaining popularity as more and more people discover its benefits.

The burning of smudge is a sacred ritual for Indigenous People in North America, signifying the four elements: water, earth, fire, and air. The outer shell of the smudge stick represents water, the herbs within represent earth, and the burning of the smudge stick represents fire. Wafting the smoke with an eagle feather represents air.

We understand the ritualistic practice of smudge burning and what it represents but what are the benefits of burning smudge in today’s modern world? Here are 5 key reasons for burning the sacred herbs found in smudge.

Smudging Can Help To Clear Negative Energy

One of the key ingredients in smudge sticks is palo santo which is often referred to as ‘holy wood’. The sweet scent of pine, mint, and lemon has, for centuries, been seen as a bringer of healing and good fortune. The indigenous people of the Andes have long used palo santo for spiritual purification and energy cleansing. It is said that the smoke from burning palo santo when coupled with positive thoughts and intentions will pull negative energy from an environment and lift it away as the smoke rises off into the atmosphere.

Smudging Can Help To Cleanse & Purify Your Space.

The practice of burning herbs has been studied by scientists and there is a wealth of literature covering the subject. Studies have shown that burning herbs can eliminate up to 94% of airborne bacteria in a space and disinfect the air. No wonder Indigenous people across the planet loved and used this ritual so often.

Smudging Can Enhance Your General Cognition

There is a lot to be said about the benefits of burning herbs like sage. It is used to help you relax, boost your mood and cleanse your environment. What people often don’t realise is it can also boost your general cognition. What do we mean by the term cognition? Cognition is the process of acquiring, storing and manipulating knowledge. It involves processes such as attention, memory, judgement and evaluation, reasoning, problem solving and decision making. There’s also plenty of scientific evidence to support this claim as well.

Smudging Can Help To Boost Your Mood & Energy Levels

When you burn sage, one of the primary ingredients found in smudge sticks, it releases negative ions into the air. This is linked to putting people into a positive mood. The Latin word for sage, salvia, stems from the word heal. Other qualities that are believed to be associated with sage when burned are giving wisdom, clarity, and increasing spiritual awareness.

Smudging Can Help To Protect You From Negative Influences

Although the jury may be still out on this benefit, as it is difficult to scientifically quantify, we can look at the reasons why this has been a long held belief. We know already that burning smoke from these herbs has been proven to reduce the airborne bacteria count and ‘protect’ the area for up to 24 hours. It is also well known that having a relaxed and positive mindset can have an influence on your internal wellbeing and how you interact with people in the external world. These two factors when combined can be seen to ‘protect’ a person from negative influences such as falling sick, feeling low and having bad experiences with others.

Smudging has been practised by spiritual and indigenous people for centuries. They have long promoted many reasons and benefits for burning their sacred herbs. For some time people in the modern ages were sceptical but science has stepped in to explain the processes behind the benefits. If you’re new to smudging or a seasoned smudge user, why not shop our huge range of handcrafted (from a native American reserve in California) smudge sticks.