PALO SANTO OIL

ESSENTIAL OIL

Bursera graveolens

FOR DIFFUSIONS. APPEASING. UPLIFTING. ENERGIZING. BALANCING. DECONGESTANT. AIR PURIFYING. FOR MEDITATION. NERVOUS STATES. EXHAUSTION. NATURAL INSECT REPELLENT.

IDENTIFICATION

INCI name: Bursera graveolens (Palo Santo) wood oil

CAS number: 959130-05-3

SKU code: PEO1123

EXTRACTION METHOD: Steam distilled essential oil.

PARTS USED: Aged, dead, Heartwood, Wood.

ORIGIN: Ecuador

SYNONYMS: Elaphrium graveolens Kunth, Amyris graveolens Spreng. Bursera malacophylla

COMMON NAMES: Palo Santo, Holy wood, Saint wood essential oil.

APPEARANCE: colourless to pale yellow fluid oil.

ODOUR NOTE:  Unique and complex. Clean, fresh, minty and citrussy with woody, resinous notes. Top to middle note.

QUALITY: 100 % pure and natural, organic whole essential oil. Soluble in ethanol and oils. Insoluble in water

Batch#: PSO11232010

Best before: 10/2023

STORAGE CONDITION: Store tightly closed, in a cool, dry place, away from light (contains limonene that are oxidizes easily. Oxidation (contact with oxygen) is what is believed to trigger adverse/allergic reactions and sensitization in sensitive persons). Keep away from children and pets.

• General Analgesic
• Anti-inflammatory.
• Antibacterial
• Antihistaminic
• General nervous system regulator
• General decongestant, venous and lymphatic decongestant.
• General tonic (Physical and Emotional)
• Tissue regenerator
• Insect repellent

Palo Santo is considered a “holy “wood in central America and grows in dry forest from Argentina to the coast and islands of Ecuador. Its heartwood is traditionally used in fumigations and the shavings or powder cooked in decoctions or in infusions that people drink or add to balms and cataplasms. 

Its essential oil is traditionally used:

IN DIFFUSION, STEAM INHALATIONS AND DRY INHALATIONS:

• To purify and cleanse air, as natural air sanitizer, especially through the winter months, or to get rid of bad odours.
• As a respiratory decongestant in cough, colds, asthma…
• As an anxiolytic, tonic, and regulator to the nervous system: used in panic attacks cases, stressful situations, nervous tension, psychological or emotional anguish. To help calm, appease and balance anxious, nervous mindsets.
• For its distinctive fresh, clean uplifting and grounding fragrance.
• For its emotionally uplifting aroma and balancing effect: to boost morale and help restores energy in depressive states, deep sadness, physical and emotional exhaustion, burnouts.
• To promote relaxation and induce meditation (Yoga, breathing exercises…)
• As a support in tasks requiring sustained concentration, focus, clarity of thoughts, and a boost in energy.
• To repel mosquitoes and other insects.

IN SKIN APPLICATIONS and wellbeing massages, Palo Santo essential oil is used well diluted, in targeted, localized spot applications on concerned areas, the base of the skull, the temples, spine, stomach, joints, articulations, and muscles.

• As an analgesic: In oils to relieve pains: Headache, toothache, gingivitis (applied externally, near the concerned area).
• As an anti-bacterial: Included in cleansing, purifying antiseptic creams applied to skin infections, wound, abscess, acne pimples or skin parasites (ringworms, ticks…).
• As a venous and lymphatic decongestant, in local massages on varicose veins…
• As a respiratory decongestant, in rubbing creams or balms: colds, rhinitis, bronchitis, coughs…
• In localised massages, to increase relaxation and ease tensions, in all pains triggered by muscles or nervous tensions:
• To relieve headaches, migraines, stomach-ache, and digestive disorders of nervous origin.
• Applied in support of skin neuralgic manifestations: itchy, burning feeling skins, shingles, chickenpox, insects burning toxins (forest caterpillars, centipedes…) To help calm, soothe irritated, damaged skin.
• As a general tonic to combat fatigue or to stimulate recovery:  used in massages and diffusions to support healthy physical fitness.  As support massages in convalescence programs, to boost energy levels in exhaustion situation and general weakness. (After infectious episode flu, bronchitis, gastro…)
• In massages or in balms and liniment for rheumatism, joint discomforts (osteoarthritis, arthritis)
• As an anti-inflammatory and regenerative ingredient (joint and muscle pain,): in localized massages for tendinitis, elongations, tearing, body aches after intensive physical training or sport practices.

IDEAL FOR DIFFUSIONS. APPEASING. UPLIFTING. ENERGIZING. BALANCING. PURIFYING. FOR MEDITATION. AIR CLEANSING. NATURAL INSECT REPELLENT. TENSIONS. ANXIETY, NERVOUSNESS, PANICK ATTACKS. BURNOUTS, EXTREME FATIGUE. BLOCKED NOSES, COUGHS, COLDS.

Fantastic for this use +++

Acceptable (suitable) for this use ++

Tolerable (not great for this use) +

Diffusion: +++

For air cleansing. To create a calm atmosphere. In case of fatigue or convalescence, Nervous, anxious states. In case of colds and other related afflictions. To help concentrate or to promote meditation. To keep mosquitos and bugs at bay:

Ultrasonic Diffusers: diffuse10-15 min max, 3 times a day. Use 2 to 3 drops straight with other desired essential oils.

Steam inhalation: a few drops in steaming water. Wait a few minutes for the heat to dissipate (so as not to burn) and hover your face at 20 cm from the hot water and inhale/ exhale 10 to 15 times.

Dry Inhalation on your palms or wrists: Place a drop of this uplifting oil diluted in 4-5 drops of carrier oil in the palm of your hand or on your inner wrist and gently rub the palms/ wrists together, bring them towards your face and take a deep inhalation.

Breathe the essential oil directly from the vial.

 Homecare: +++ 

This HE can be used in sprays, to clean the atmosphere and purify rooms, or as an insect repellent.

A few drops on dried flowers, on a cotton gauze, scents bag, sheets of papers (old newspapers, recycled papers will do perfectly) to scent your home or line your furniture, drawers, and bookshelves, to fragrance your linen, to keep insects and other unwanted bugs away. 

Targeted Massages, localized skin applications: + to ++

Palo santo essential oil contain molecules that may cause reactions to sensitive skins (limonene and pulegone). Use with caution and always diluted in a suitable carrier (oil, cream, butter), on a localized area AND only for short periods of time. For skin applications best Use at night avoid sun exposure.

Use at 2% maximum in your carrier of choice.

Targeted body massages:  use 1 to 6 drops essential oil for 10 ml carrier oil (0.5 to 2 % concentration) mixed with other adequate essential oils: ++ 

Add a few drops to a cold compress or a clay paste, apply and wrap to soothe discomfort and relax any specific area of the body.

Relaxing, de-stress, calming bath: First mix up to 10 drops of Palo Santo oil with 20 ml vegetable glycerine or 1 cup of Epsom salts: ++

For more detailed information, please go check this LINK TO Instructions of use essential oils page

• Blends Well With: other woods and resins such as cedarwood, frankincense, Amyris, and Myrrh
• With citruses: bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, orange…
• With spicy essential oils like clove, cinnamon
• With vanilla
• With helichrysum, and lavender

Palo Santo, just like its cousins Frankincense and Myrrh exudes a highly aromatic resin (graveolens in Latin means “Strong smelling”). The tree has been revered since Inca times, and all its part used in different applications for traditional herbal medicine as well as for emotional, spiritual purification in rituals.

In Ecuador, the over Palo Santo tree is planted in now planted in forestry exploitation and the felling of the trees is monitored. Only the dead branches and fallen old trunks are gathered from the forest floor. They are left to age while their aromatic compounds mature and concentrate in the wood. 

When matured, some of the wood is reserved to be used for fumigations, dried powders for incense, decoctions, tisanes and other herbal applications for fevers, infections, and skin afflictions.

The rest is shredded, and steam distilled to produce an essential oil of the best quality. 

The essential oil of Palo Santo is composed in majority of Limonene (almost 60%), with Pulegone & menthofuran (+/- 18%) and alpha-terpineol (+/- 10%).

Main constituents: limonene 

The holy wood is a complex and interesting essential oil whose aroma reveals itself at various levels. Called Palo Santo in Spanish, Bursera graveolens comes from the same botanical family as Frankincense and Myrrh. 

Contrary to its cousins’ essential oils, distilled from the resin, the best quality of Palo Santo essential oil is distilled from aged dead heartwood*.

In diffusions, Palo Santo oil starts with a refreshing and uplifting citrus and minty aroma followed by subtle but persistent resinous wood notes that will be recognized by people familiar with the scent of the burning Palo Santo wood. A light but powerful scent, used to calm and re-center anxious minds or to promote meditative states, this is a perfect essential oil for relaxed diffusion and fresh home sprays.

DO NOT USE UNDILUTED and SEEK MEDICAL AND SPECIALIST ADVISE WHEN IN DOUBT.

SEE OUR PAGE ON PRECAUTION - HOW TO USE ESSENTIAL OILS SAFELY

CAUTIONS

Palo Santo essential oil is rich in Limonene molecules. As with all pure essential oils, dilute in a suitable carrier (oil, butter, cream, soap) before applying on the skin.

If you are sensitive/reactive to citrus peels (oranges, lemon, lime…). Avoid the use of this essential oil (and other citrus peel essential oils), manipulate this oil with caution and/or avoid contacts with your skin. 

External uses only. 

Not recommended for pregnant, lactating and nursing women

Not recommended for children under the age of 7.

Not recommended in people with epilepsy or serious mental disorders

Do not use on the skin before sun exposure (this HE contains furocoumarins that may be photosensitizing). 

A patch test should be performed before use for those with sensitive skin.