Along with the use of essential oils in aromatherapy, the practice of smudging is a tradition that has been maintained for thousands of years, since human beings first discovered fire and how to use it for their own purposes.

In ancient cultures, the smoke generated in smudging was used to create moods, arouse emotions, invoke gods, and perform various rituals. It was traditionally practiced in the days leading up to Christmas as a way of bidding farewell to the old year and preparing for the new.

Burning incense is still being used today as a means of cleansing today since it brings many benefits, including banishing old, negative energies from a room, keeping pathogens and germs in check, and helping to prevent infection. Incense is also traditionally burned during rituals and ceremonies of dedication and protection.

In general, we can say that smudging works in three ways:

ON A PHYSICAL LEVEL, it has a healing effect. the heat generated releases from the plant active ingredients and volatile oils that can directly influence us physically, for example, by producing an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, or mood-enhancing effect.
ON AN EMOTIONAL LEVEL, the scents of incense may affect the limbic system, which regulates our emotions, motivations, and memories, among other processes and functions. Odors are directly linked with memories, which in turn are connected with the emotions provoked by memories. The burning of incense in smudging allows these emotions to be recalled consciously.
ON AN ENERGETIC LEVEL, burning incense helps us to release the essence of the original plant (its energetic information and everything that we associate with it), thereby activating its vibration within us.

Smudging also works on its own terms, providing a break in our daily routine, a moment in which we can find stillness by fully focusing on the process itself. These effects can be enhanced by incorporating smudging into a ritual and setting an intention.

People are returning to tried-and-trusted practices in order to relax and switch off from the stresses and strains of everyday life, to connect with the elemental power of nature, or simply to relax and indulge in enjoyment of the pleasant fragrance. Explore the world of incense, and experience the pleasure of smudging with these five most powerful, yet lesser known herbs and resin.

BIRCH

Name: Betula pendula (silver birch), Betula alba (European white birch)

Family: Betulaceae

Distribution: Central & Eastern Europe, North America

Plant part: Leaves, bark, buds, wood

Scent: Fresh, woody (leaves, bark, wood); sweet, floral (buds)

Uses: Headaches, women’s issues; new beginnings, at Candlemas, annual festivals, transition rituals, initiation, for self-confidence, creativity

Properties: Promotes concentration, enlightening

Domestic/native tree • Foraging plant • Sacred to the Celtic and Germanic tribes

The birch tree has been part of our lives since the dawn of human history, with a long tradition of being used for practical, medicinal, and magical purposes. Each part of the tree can be put to good use, from its wood and bark for building boats and as a medium on which to write, to its resin (birch pitch), which was used as a caulking material and as chewing gum.

Tinder fungus, which grows on the dead trunks of the birch, was used for lighting fires, and the sap the trees produce in spring has recently been rediscovered in the form of refreshing, revitalizing birch water. Infused in a tea, the leaves have diuretic properties.

Birch is associated with the month of May; it is a tree of light, new beginnings, and vitality, and the trunk was traditionally used to form the maypole. Witches’ broomsticks were also said to be made from the brushwood of the birch

CARDAMOM

Name: Elettaria cardamomum

Family: Zingiberaceae

Distribution: South India, Guatemala, Tanzania

Plant part: Seeds

Scent: Pleasant, exotic, fresh

Uses: Love, self-confidence, courage, partnership, determination; insect repellent

Properties: Strengthens the nerves, aphrodisiac, harmonious, stimulates energy flow, antiseptic, disinfectant

A spice • Eastern

Green (or true) cardamom originates from South India, Thailand, and Iraq but is now mainly cultivated in Guatemala and Tanzania. We are primarily aware of cardamom seeds as a spice ingredient in North African and Asian dishes, but as a medicinal plant it boosts the stomach and soothes the nerves, and is effective against flatulence.

However, cardamom was long ago used as incense by the ancient Egyptians. The seeds are prepared by crushing or grinding them to a powder, but only just before a smudging ritual is ready to start, as their volatile substances evaporate quickly.

LADY’S MANTLE

Name: Alchemilla vulgaris

Family: Rosaceae

Distribution: Europe

Plant part: Upper parts and flowering stalks

Scent: Herbaceous, bitter, warm

Uses: Women’s issues, love and fertility rituals; summer solstice, creativity, intuition

Properties: Grounding, protective, calming

Common • Foraging plant • Familiar medicinal plant

Lady’s mantle was originally native to Northern Europe, where it can still be found in the highest mountains ranges as far north as the Arctic Circle, and later spread to the rest of Europe. The name hints at its traditional use as a medicinal plant for women’s aliments: it regulates the menstrual cycle and hormonal imbalance in women, promotes contractions of the uterus, fights infection, and is said to stimulate the flow of milk (the root in particular contains phytohormones similar to progesterone). It also helps with the healing of wounds. Gargling or rinsing with the plant as a tea can be useful to treat inflammation of the mouth or throat.

The small drops of liquid seen on the leaves of lady’s mantle in the morning might at first appear to be dew, but they are in fact exuded by the plant itself. They were prized by medieval alchemists and credited with special healing powers. These droplets would be used by women to refresh the skin, invigorate its tissue, and smooth out wrinkles. Lady’s mantle was also burned as incense in a love charm.

MUGWORT

Name: Artemisia vulgaris

Family: Asteraceae (daisy family)

Distribution: Global

Plant part: Root, tips of the shoots, leaves

Scent: Earthy, bitter, spicy

Uses: Birth, menopause, insomnia; change, blessings, inner vision, prayer, transition and end-of-life care, dreams, clairvoyance, summer solstice, winter solstice, protection, letting go; enhancing healing powers, intuition

Properties: Balancing, relaxing, promotes sleep,

anticonvulsant, very warming, revitalizing, opens the mind

Domestic wild plant • Culinary herb • Traditionally used in Northern and Central Europe (North America, Asia) • Foraging plant • Can be burned without charcoal

Species of artemisia are found throughout the world, but mugwort is indigenous to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe, where it is an important plant traditionally used for healing and in incense. Growing at the sides of paths and tracks, it was already being used for protection by the ancient Celts, its fragrance said to ward off evil spirits and imminent thunder storms, in addition to protecting against illness. At solstice celebrations, mugwort would be woven into a belt that would be thrown into the fire at the culmination of the ceremony to burn away negative energies and ask for protection for the year to come.

Mugwort is used both as a herb in smudging and as a tea or infusion for women’s issuens and digestive problems. In smudging, it supports and accelerates childbirth and the expulsion of the placenta. It can also be used to bless a room and awaken clairvoyance.

In China a species of Artemisia is used to make moxa cigars or sticks; when applied to acupuncture points, they are said to soothe a host of ailments. Prairie sage or white sage (Artemisia ludoviciana) is widespread across North America and Canada and is used in native rituals and ceremonies.

Mugwort can also be burned as incense in the form of a smudge stick and is a useful ingredient of a smudging blend.

ROSE

Name: Rosa spp.

Family: Rosaceae

Distribution: Temperate zones worldwide

Plant part: Flower petals, buds

Scent: Floral, gentle, sensual, smooth

Uses: Meditation, prayer; against jealousy, for love

Properties: Relaxing for body and soul, cheering, opening up to generosity and kindness, harmonious, invigorating, heart-opening, sensual, blessings

Domestic wild plant (dog rose) and garden plant • Not all roses have a scent • Traditionally used in the Arab world

Roses grow wild or are cultivated almost everywhere in the world. In ancient times they were associated with love and beauty and were a symbol of the goddess Venus. In Catholicism the rose is frequently a symbol of purity and love, linked with the Virgin Mary (rosary prayer).

With its defensive thorns, the rose also represents protection, pain and sorrow, life and death. Roses are popular in bridal bouquets and funeral wreaths alike. When burned as incense, the smoke might be used to bless a house or for an evening of love, while in relationships of all kinds, it helps people to deal with disagreements with understanding and an open heart.

The buds of the Damask rose (Rosa damascena) are particularly fragrant, while the scents of wild roses such as the dog rose (Rosa canina), the field rose (Rosa arvensis), and the Western Wild Rose (Rosa woodsii) are also very intense. Rose petals and buds add an attractive dash of color to smudging blends.

From The Complete Smudging Handbook by Markus Schirner © 2025 Earthdancer. Printed with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International.

Markus Schirner is a kinesiology and Touch for Health teacher, a movement facilitator with Brain Gym, and massage therapist. His other areas of specialization include aromatherapy and herbalism, meditation and breathing therapy, and Buddhist philosophy. He is the founder of Schirner Verlag, one of the best known spiritual publishing houses in Germany.

Find holistic Plant Spirit Medicine in the Spirit of Change online Alternative Health Directory.

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