Juniper Smudge Stick (Juniperus) Mexico

The bundle combines the leaves and small berry-like cones of the tree. Beyond α-pinene the foliage carries sabinene, β-myrcene, and limonene - together producing a clear, woody-citric register that holds steady through the burn rather than evolving. The bark gives the species its common name: as the tree matures, it fissures into rectangular plates that resemble reptile skin.

1. Hold the tip to a flame until it catches (5–10 seconds).
2. Blow the flame out so the bundle smoulders.
3. Hold over a fireproof dish or shell.
4. Walk slowly through the room - do not fan vigorously.
5. Press the burning tip into sand or a dish to extinguish. Let cool fully before storing.

Burn in a ventilated room. Keep away from soft furnishings and loose fabric.

• Botanical: Juniperus deppeana
• Common name: Alligator Juniper · sabino
• Origin: Central Mexico
• Source name: sabino (Spanish)
• Form Hand-bundled foliage, cotton-tied
• Size: 4"
• Dominant compounds: α-pinene · sabinene · β-myrcene · limonene
• Shelf life: Best within 12 months of production

Juniper is one of the few aromatic plants burned across nearly every culture in the northern hemisphere - Diné, Apache, and Pueblo communities in the Americas; Scottish Highland, Anatolian, Sami, and Tibetan plateau traditions across Eurasia. The Juniperus genus contains over seventy species; almost every cold or dry region of the northern world has its local juniper.