Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens)
Palo Santo — "holy wood" — is a sweet, woodsy single oil from South America, traditionally burned or diffused for its calming aroma.
How to use it
3–5 drops creates a grounding, meditative atmosphere; blends naturally with frankincense.
Dilute to 2–4% in a carrier oil for massage or skin-care use, and patch-test first.
Safety in detail
- Max dermal use
- Dilute in a carrier oil for skin
- Phototoxic
- No
- A gentle oil; dilute before topical use as usual.
- Choose sustainably sourced palo santo — it should come from naturally fallen wood, not felled trees.
- Not phototoxic. Keep out of reach of children.
Sources: BLACPMA study (2022)
Composition & chemistry
Aggregated from 1 GC-MS samples across 1 peer-reviewed open-access studies (2023). Figures are the distribution across those samples — median with interquartile range — not a single reading.
- Phenylpropanoid / aromatic 45.6%
- Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon 44.1%
- Monoterpene hydrocarbon 3.2%
- Unclassified 2.9%
- Oxygenated sesquiterpene 2.7%
- Oxygenated monoterpene 1.4%
| Constituent | Median | Typical range | Max | Detected in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (e)-methyl cinnamate | 19.3% | 19.3–19.3% | 19.3% | |
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| β-caryophyllene ↗ C15H24 | 15.8% | 15.8–15.8% | 15.8% | |
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| cinnamyl acetate ↗ C11H12O2 | 12.5% | 12.5–12.5% | 12.5% | |
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| cinnamaldehyde ↗ C9H8O | 10.0% | 10.0–10.0% | 10.0% | |
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| β-selinene ↗ C15H24 | 5.8% | 5.8–5.8% | 5.8% | |
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| α-copaene ↗ C15H24 | 4.5% | 4.5–4.5% | 4.5% | |
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| bicyclogermacrene ↗ C15H24 | 4.2% | 4.2–4.2% | 4.2% | |
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| caryophyllene oxide ↗ C15H24O | 2.5% | 2.5–2.5% | 2.5% | |
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| α-pinene ↗ C10H16 | 1.6% | 1.6–1.6% | 1.6% | |
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| β-pinene ↗ C10H16 | 1.3% | 1.3–1.3% | 1.3% | |
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| 1,8-cineole ↗ C10H18O | 1.3% | 1.3–1.3% | 1.3% | |
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1 peer-reviewed sources behind these figures
- Sosa L, Espinoza LC, Valarezo E, Bozal N, Calpena A, Fábrega MJ, Baldomà L, Rincón M, Mallandrich M. (2023). Therapeutic Applications of Essential Oils from Native and Cultivated Ecuadorian Plants: Cutaneous Candidiasis and Dermal Anti-Inflammatory Activity. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland).
Every figure above traces to a named table in one of these open-access papers. How this was built →
- Limonene — the dominant terpene, unusual for a wood oil; gives palo santo its bright, sweet-citrus lift BLACPMA study (2022)
Holy wood — the fragrance only develops after the tree dies and the wood ages on the forest floor.
What the research says
An honest read of the published research — what has actually been studied, at what stage. Not medical advice or a promise of results.
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Palo santo oil has been characterised chemically and examined for enzyme-inhibition and other activities in the laboratory. Its traditional 'cleansing' use is cultural and preliminary, not a clinical health claim.
BLACPMA study (2022)
Evidence & sources
Peer-reviewed research on Palo Santo's chemistry and safety. These describe composition and documented effects — not health or treatment claims.
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Palo santo is unusual among wood oils in being limonene-dominant, which gives it a bright, sweet-citrus edge over its warm, resinous wood base.
BLACPMA study (2022)
Frequently asked questions
Why does palo santo smell citrusy for a wood?
Because it's dominated by limonene — the same terpene that makes citrus peels smell bright. That's unusual for a wood oil and gives palo santo its distinctive sweet, resinous-yet-citrusy character. BLACPMA study (2022)
Is palo santo sustainable?
It can be, when the oil comes from naturally fallen wood aged on the forest floor rather than felled trees. Because demand has raised concerns, look for suppliers who document sustainable, fallen-wood sourcing.
Is palo santo phototoxic?
No — despite being limonene-rich, palo santo is a distilled wood oil and isn't considered phototoxic. Dilute it for skin use as usual.
Gallery
The tree & source
Bursera graveolens grows in the dry tropical forests along the coasts of Ecuador and Peru, and belongs to the same botanical family (Burseraceae) as the trees that produce frankincense and myrrh — a family relationship that shows up clearly in the aroma. Its name, “holy wood” in Spanish, reflects centuries of use in South American spiritual and ceremonial traditions, where the wood was — and still is — burned as sticks or chips, filling a cultural role broadly comparable to sage smudging in North American traditions.
How it’s harvested and extracted
Responsibly sourced palo santo comes only from wood that has already fallen naturally and aged on the forest floor for several years — cutting a living tree doesn’t yield usable aromatic wood, since the fragrance only develops after the tree dies. That aged wood is then steam-distilled to produce the essential oil, a very different product from the burned sticks sold for smudging.
Aroma
Sweet, resinous, and woody, with a bright citrus-like top note running through it — warmer and more complex than a typical cedar or pine oil.
Traditional & everyday uses
In the diffuser: 3–5 drops creates a grounding, meditative atmosphere, and it blends naturally with frankincense — the two trees belong to the same plant family.
On skin: dilute to 2–4% in a carrier oil for massage or skin-care use, and patch-test as with any new oil.
Sourcing note
Because usable palo santo depends on naturally fallen, aged wood rather than live harvesting, sourcing from a supplier that documents sustainable practices is worth confirming before buying.
Found in these blends
Palo Santo is one of the oils inside 4 Young Living blends.