About Our Local Communities & Palo Santo

Our Palo Santo comes from the Peruvian coast in the north of Peru and literally means «holy stick». The Palo Santo tree is currently endangered and, according to the United Plant Savers Medicinal Plant Conservation (IUCN), there are less than 250 mature adult trees in the wild. Even though it is not legal to cut down these trees in Peru, the illegal trade is a regular occurrence due to the high demand. Palo Santo should never be cut down and is supposed to age some years in order to gain its full benefit and according to our sacred belief. Unfortunately, many profiteers are cutting down these holy trees for the sake of economic gain, not caring about the danger to the protected species.

We are working with the local community Antañuelos and a family business that dedicates to a sustainable way of exporting Palo Santo for over 30 years, by achieving a SERFOR certification and ensuring that we do not cut down the tree. We commit that we wait for the tree to naturally complete its life cycle of 7 to 8 years and when it falls down, we collect the Palo Santo in order to keep the field clean. We are working hand in hand with the government, so we can protect Mother Earth and plant new Palo Santo trees.

Our mission is to support more of our local communities and families, so they can receive and maintain a governmental sustainability certification that ensures the harvest under fair conditions and the reforestation of Palo Santo. Many farmers are forced to sell their Palo Santo on the black market for an underpaid price, knowing that the tree will be over-harvested. The Sonqo Team wants to be able to support locals, so they can benefit from this certification and every Palo Santo tree is being replanted again as a sustainable way of trading with it.

Shipping time: 2 – 5 workdays

About the Product

The so-called “holy stick” has many different stories to tell. One of them is about Jesus Christ trying to escape from the Roman soldiers. While Jesus was looking for a hiding place, he asked one tree to let him hide inside of the tree. The tree denied Jesus to let him hide, so Jesus kept looking for a safe place. After a long time, he asked the Palo Santo tree to let him hide inside and the Palo Santo tree allowed Jesus to hide there. This was the moment when the plant became holy, leaving the holy spirit of Jesus Christ behind. Today, Palo Santo has the purpose of cleaning the energy and relaxing your body and mind. Especially, when you are practicing yoga or meditation, Palo Santo gives you a state of calmness and enhances your concentration.

We currently provide our Palo Santo in small bunches, including six to seven sticks that are laced up with a handmade, colorful cord. For every bunch that we are selling, we can plant another Palo Santo tree and support the protected species of Palo Santo. The sticks per piece have a length of 10 cm and a width of 1.5 cm. Help us to make Mother Earth a better place and protect this holy plant!

We also offer other forms of Palo Santo, for example in the shape of a pyramid. You simply place the pyramid incense on a heat-safe surface, light the tip, extinguish the flame, and allow it to burn. Relax as your space is cleared of negativity!