By Amari Leiva-Urzua
As February comes to an end South American mother Claudia Urzua makes her way through the house, a piece of wood burning in her hands. She uses the smoke to make the sign of the cross at every door and every room before letting it burn next to the front door.
Wishing goodbye to the month before, and welcoming a new month of fresh beginnings, she repeats this process throughout the year.
At first glance the Palo Santo simply appears to be a stick, a piece of wood. But the Palo Santo, which translates as “Holy Wood”, has become a nexus for faith, medicine, and South American culture.
Extracted from the native South American tree Bursera Graveolens, the Palo Santo is believed to have both spiritual and medicinal properties, bringing into close examination the ways that spirituality can intersect with medicine.
The Palo Santo was first used during the Incan Empire in the 15th Century as a ward against the otherworldly presence. Today, it is still used by South American shamans and in households as a spiritual purifier.
It is believed that through burning the wood, its incense has spiritual properties capable of resetting energies tainted by negativity or conflict. In this cleansing process, it also has the power to attract good fortune and positive energy.
“It provides security, calmness, and peace of mind,” said Urzua, recalling how she would burn Palo Santo before her university exams, whenever she felt stressed, or during periods of emotional instability.
She said she performs the cultural procession of burning the Palo Santo at the end of each month to help her “let go” of personal and work troubles, and move on. It becomes “a form of mindfulness”.
While imbued with spiritual beliefs, scientific research has revealed the Palo Santo’ s medicinal benefits.
When burned, the wood produces the substance limonene, a neuronal stimulator which activates the immune system. This can help alleviate conditions such as arthritis, muscle inflammation, regular stress and anxiety.
When informed of this, Urzua laughed and responded: “It’s fascinating how belief can have such psychological and physical power.”
The Palo Santo has simply become one of the many symbols that represent the intersection between culture and healing. A representation of how faith and medicine have always had a close association, since the earliest human attempts to heal the body.
Featured image: The Palo Santo ceremony helps clear the air. Picture: Amari Leiva-Urzua