Smudging is the burning of certain herbs to create a cleansing smoke bath, which is used to purify people, space, and ceremonial tools and objects such as crystals.

The burning of herbs or incense is a practice held sacred by many indigenous cultures. It is a ritual for cleansing, purifying and protecting the physical and spiritual bodies. The effect of the smoke is to banish negative energies.

Many differing cultures and peoples have their own methods and herbal mixtures for this purpose.

Smudging, done correctly, can bring physical, spiritual and emotional balance.

The term Smudging originated in the Native American culture. Native American Indians use a variety of smudging mixtures. In olden times, the end of the smudge stick or braid was lit from the central or cooking fire.

Popular Herbs

The principle herbs used are sage , cedar or juniper , lavender and sweet grass .

Sage

Sage (Artemisia tridentia) is not the same as the European varieties and is indigenous to the Americas.

There are two major genii and several varieties of each genus of Sage that are used for smudging. Salvia, or the herb sage used for cooking, comes in two major varieties: S. officinalis, commonly known as Garden Sage, and S. apiana, commonly known as White Sage . Salvia varieties have long been acknowledged as healing herbs, reflected in the fact that its genus name comes from the Latin root word salvare, which is the verb "to heal" or "to save." Artemisia is the genus commonly considered "Sagebrush", and is more common in California.