Burning white sage is marketed as a purifying practice. Here are 3 reasons to stop. pic.twitter.com/kklLXaMn6b
— AJ+ (@ajplus) February 17, 2019
White Sage is sacred to many Native Americans, and because of wholesalers (and hipsters) it’s now endangered. I’m guilty of smudging my house and my office- but you know what they say- when you know better you do better. So I did some research and found a few alternatives to burning white sage. These options won’t harm the environment and won’t offend an entire race of people.
- MUGWORT – this plant is native to parts of Asia, North America and Northern Europe. It’s been used to cure anxiety and moodiness. You shouldn’t use mugwort in any form if you’re pregnant because it causes the uterus to contract. Mugwort may also cause really vivid dreams, like shroom level dreams. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
- ROSEMARY – I almost left this one off of the list because things got a little weird while researching. Apparently, back in the day, women would use rosemary to speed up the abortion process (so again, steer clear if you’re preggo). Upon further investigating, it seems that you would have to ingest tons of rosemary to terminate a pregnancy. But, it’s said to boost creativity and new ideas.
- CEDAR – Cedar is known to provide spiritual protection and clear energy. No weird side effects here.
- SWEETGRASS – now, this is a sacred plant for Native Americans, but it grows so freely in North America that many tribes actually sell it themselves. So if you want to try sweetgrass, make sure it’s from actual Natives (not Sephora). It’s used for divine motherly energy.
- LEMONGRASS – used worldwide for purifying and cleansing
- EUCALYPTUS – used worldwide and an immunity booster.
