Yerba Santa Smudge Stick (Eriodictyon Californicum)

The leaves are coated in a distinctive sticky resin - eriodictyol and homoeriodictyol, the flavonoid compounds that give the genus its name (from the Greek erion, "wool," and diktyon, "net," for the patterned underside of the leaf). The compounds are released slowly as the leaves char rather than crumble, producing a denser, longer-lasting smoke than sage.

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: Eriodictyon californicum
• Common name: Yerba Santa
• Origin: Cultivated Mexico (native range: California & northern Baja)
• Source name: yerba santa (Spanish)
• Form: Hand-bundled, cotton-tied
• Size: 4"
• Dominant compounds: Eriodictyol · homoeriodictyol · α-pinene
• Shelf life: Best within 12 months of production

The flavonoid resin that coats yerba santa leaves is unusual in two ways. It doesn't release fully until heat softens the surface coating - which is why the bundle smokes denser and slower than sage. And the compounds responsible - eriodictyol and homoeriodictyol - were first isolated from this plant in the 19th century, and gave the entire genus its botanical name (from the Greek erion, "wool," and diktyon, "net," for the patterned underside of the leaf).