What is a yerba santa smudge stick?

This is a 5-inch smudge stick of yerba santa (Eriodictyon californicum), an evergreen shrub native to California, Oregon, and Arizona. The Spanish name means "holy herb": Spanish missionaries learned about the plant from Indigenous Californians and gave it the name that stuck.

About the plant

Yerba santa stands out among smudge plants for its leaves, which are glossy and naturally resinous. The smoke is warm, herbaceous, and slightly resinous. The plant carries documented ceremonial history among multiple Indigenous Californian peoples, including the Maidu, Miwok, Yokuts, and Pomo. As with every plant in this category, we state that history plainly and with respect; smudging is a documented practice in many Indigenous North American traditions, not a marketing hook.

Burning characteristics

Light the tip until it smolders, blow out any flame, and rest the stick over a heatproof dish. Extinguish in sand or ash.

Related smudge sticks

• White Sage Smudge — fellow Californian, sharper in aroma.
• Cedar Smudge — the Pacific Northwest evergreen.

Format & size

Sold as a single stick, approximately 5 inches long. We make no health or therapeutic claims.

Storage

Store in a dry place away from humidity.

Yerba santa smudge at a glance

Botanical name

Eriodictyon californicum

Family

Boraginaceae

Common names

Yerba santa, holy herb, mountain balm

Native region

California, Oregon, Arizona

Aroma

Warm, herbaceous, slightly resinous

Burn character

Smolders with fragrant smoke; relightable