White sage and smudging herbs: cultural debate, overharvesting, alternatives

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What is white sage?

White sage (Salvia apiana) is an evergreen perennial shrub 1.3 to 1.5 metres tall, with silvery, highly aromatic leaves, which grows wild in the coastal scrublands of southern California and Mexican Baja California. Its name apiana refers to bees, which visit its lavender-white flowers. It belongs to the same family as lavender, rosemary and mint.

It should not be confused with common sage (Salvia officinalis), the aromatic herb of our gardens and kitchens, native to the Mediterranean. Nor with the sagebrush of the American West, which is not a sage but a wormwood (Artemisia). The part that is burned is the dried leaf, tied into bundles with thread.

History and culture: a practice that belongs to peoples

Indigenous peoples of the Californian coast, among them the Chumash, Cahuilla and Kumeyaay, have used white sage for a very long time: its seeds went into porridges and flatbreads, its leaves into domestic uses, and the plant has a place in ritual practices. In some of these traditions its smoke is associated with purification; the precise meaning belongs to each nation and its elders, and it varies.

What is called smudging in English is not a single practice: it covers different uses among North American peoples, and many do not use sage but other plants of their region (cedar, sweetgrass, and so on). The commercial success of the bundles in recent years is a phenomenon of a very different nature.

A subject of debate: overharvesting and cultural appropriation

Two questions intersect, and it is fair to separate them.

The resource. White sage is not listed as a federally protected species in the United States, contrary to what is sometimes read. But global demand has caused illegal, large-scale harvesting: in 2018, four people were arrested after stealing around 180 kg of plants from a Californian reserve. Residents and Indigenous representatives report hillsides stripped bare, plants pulled up with their roots, and seeds taken at the expense of bees. A campaign, “Saging the World”, launched by a Californian educator of Chumash origin and taken up by the California Native Plant Society, draws attention to this plundering and to the way the plant is presented to the general public.

The meaning. For many Indigenous people, the plant is sacred and its smoke belongs to specific ceremonies; some ask non-Indigenous people not to use it, especially when it is sold in kits mixing plants that have never been associated. Other Indigenous people accept respectful sharing. Views are not unanimous, and we do not speak on behalf of any people.

This is why the shop does not sell white sage, and invites you to choose another plant.

Its scent, described simply

White sage gives off a camphor-like, herbal, dry and slightly sharp scent, reminiscent of scrubland warmed by the sun. The smoke is thick. Each of the alternatives below has its own character: common sage (herbal, kitchen-like), wormwood (bitter, green), rosemary (resinous, fresh), thyme (warm), lavender (floral), juniper (resinous, woody).

Respectful alternatives

Many plants that can be grown in France have their own local history:

• Common sage (Salvia officinalis): easy to grow, plentiful, from the same family.
• Common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris): in the Alps, Austria and Bavaria, herbs such as mugwort and thyme have long been burned, together with spruce resin, during the Rauhnächte, the twelve nights between Christmas and Epiphany.
• Rosemary, thyme, lavender: garden herbs that you can dry yourself.
• Juniper, cedar or pine resin: resinous smokes from European trees and shrubs.
• Lavender alone, or a resin incense such as copal.

Simply call what you are doing an ambient fumigation: do not call it an “Indigenous ceremony”.

How to burn a bundle of herbs

Light the end of the bundle with a match or candle, let it flare for a few seconds, then blow out the flame: the leaves should glow and smoke. Hold the bundle above a heat-resistant container (ceramic, stone), preferably over sand, to catch the ashes and embers. To extinguish it, press it into the sand. Never put it out with water, which soaks it and makes it mouldy. Loose herbs are placed on charcoal or a heating plate.

A bundle gives off a lot of smoke: a few moments are enough for a room. See also the Incense and smoke cleansing guide.

How to choose

Read the label: the Latin name of the species, the country of origin and the growing method. Be wary of cheap “white sage” bundles with no origin, often from wild harvesting, sometimes even from a different sage. Prefer herbs grown in France or Europe by an identified producer, or dry your own. Avoid bundles with dyed flowers, glitter or synthetic thread.

Beware of “white sage” sticks: many contain only a synthetic fragrance or a scented wood base, without any of the plant.

Sustainability and ethics

The rules are simple: favour cultivated plants over wild ones, favour local species, never pick on private property or in a natural area without permission, and never uproot a whole plant. If you grow it yourself, take a few stems and let the plant regrow. If you want white sage, buy only cultivated plants with a clear origin, and be wary of bare commercial claims such as “ethical” or “sacred”, which prove nothing.

Safety

A dry bundle burns quickly and produces a lot of smoke, and therefore particles. Open a window, burn little, stay near the bundle, and check that it is properly out. Smoke detectors may go off. People with asthma or who are sensitive to smoke, young children and birds should not be exposed; dogs and cats must be able to leave the room. Not in a bedroom where someone sleeps.

Storage

Store bundles in a dry, well-ventilated place, wrapped in paper or cotton rather than sealed plastic, where humidity would make them mouldy. Keep them away from direct light. Well dried, they keep for more than a year.

Pairings with other incenses

Paired with	What you get
Lavender	A herbal, floral and soft smoke.
Cedar	A dry, clean woody ensemble.
Copal	A clear resinous base under the herbs.
Pine resin	A fumigation inspired by the Alps.

Frequently asked questions

Also read

The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Guide to incense and resins.