Ingredient spotlight - Palo Santo oil

Our Spirit Room and Linen Mist is one of our most unique and special products, because of the beautiful Palo Santo essential oil that it contains. We wanted to share with you just what is so spacial about Palo Santo, as well as where we source our oil and its sustainability. 
What is Palo Santo? 
Palo Santo is an ancient tree native to South America, and is related to Frankincense and Myrrh. In Spanish, the name literally means “Holy Wood”. It is part of the citrus family and has sweet notes of pine, mint and lemon. The essential oil is extracted from the bark of the Palo Santo tree.
History 
The use of Palo Santo can be traced back to the ancient Incan Empire. It has a prevalent place in native medicine, preferred by shamans and healers for its metaphysical properties of purification and clearing negativity.  It has been used for many centuries by shamans in ritual prayer, ceremonies and healing through burning Palo Santo wood as smudge sticks to shed bad energy within their homes or around themselves. Natives would also prepare teas and tinctures from wood shavings, used for digestive aids, immune support and to reduce inflammation. 
Palo Santo essential oil - Corinne Taylor Spirit Room & Linen Mist
Sustainability
The Palo Santo we use is wild crafted and sustainably harvested from fallen wood, from the protected forest reserves in the north of Ecuador. The Palo Santo trees are never cut down. In fact, it is illegal to do so under Ecuador’s strict conservation laws. After strong annual storms knock Palo Santo trees down, the fallen wood must remain on the forest floor for up to a decade to allow the aromatic resins to develop and cure. The Palo Santo wood is then gathered by locals in the community, who benefit from the livelihood this brings to them. 
The essential oil can only be extracted from dead trees and fallen branches using “vapor distillation” without the use of dangerous chemicals or solvents.  This insures a high quality product cared for with love and respect.
Over 30,000 Palo Santo Trees have been planted back into the area where the wood has been collected in the past 10 years. 
Benefits and uses
One of the main benefits of Palo Santo is its calming effects on the nervous system. It is centering, grounding, and helps to switch on the body’s relaxation response, so it’s excellent to use before bed. Try misting our Spirit Room & Linen Mist before bed or whenever you are in need of some calm. 
Other physical benefits include its pleasant earthy, uplifting scent, clearing offensive and lingering odours and repelling unwanted insects.
Metaphysical benefits include - Clearing bad energy and energetic protection, helping to facilitate meditation and enhance spiritual awareness.