White sage: why I do not use it, and what to burn instead

How to read the labels Historical what the old sources say. Later tradition what later writers added. Modern modern practice and my own notes.

White sage, Salvia apiana, is the silvery plant tied into the “smudge sticks” sold in almost every crystal shop. It is also the herb I most often ask beginners not to buy. This page explains why, and gives you a whole cupboard of better choices for smoke cleansing.

It is a different plant from garden sage (Salvia officinalis), the kitchen herb I use and recommend.

At a glance

Why modern witches are moving away from it

Modern White sage became a symbol of “witchy” cleansing through the commercial boom of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Three problems came with that boom, and many witches, shops and teachers now take them seriously.

Overharvesting. White sage grows wild in a small region. Demand from shops around the world has led to heavy and sometimes illegal harvesting from wild land, including land where Native people gather it for their own ceremonies. United Plant Savers lists it as at risk. A bundle with no source on the label is very often wild-picked.

Smudging is a ceremony, not a technique. “Smudging” is the name for ceremonies that belong to specific Indigenous nations, each with its own plants, prayers and rules. It is not a general word for burning herbs. When I burn herbs to cleanse a room, I call it smoke cleansing, and I use plants from my own European tradition or my kitchen.

Native voices asked. Native advocates have asked non-Native markets to stop commodifying white sage. Listening to that request costs a witch very little and respects people whose ceremonies were once banned outright.

If you are Indigenous and white sage belongs to your practice, this page is not addressed to you. Your tradition, your rules.

What to use instead

These herbs are easy to grow or buy cultivated, and each has its own character.

You do not need smoke at all. A bell, a singing bowl, an open window, a bowl of salt water wiped over surfaces or a simmer pot on the stove are all honest cleansing methods, and they are kinder to lungs and pets.

Try this: tie your own garden bundle

1. In late summer, cut a few long stems of garden sage, rosemary and lavender from your own garden or a friend’s.
2. Lay them together, about a finger-width thick. Thinner bundles burn more gently.
3. Wrap tightly with cotton string from the base to the tip and back again.
4. Hang the bundle upside down somewhere dry and airy for two to three weeks.
5. To use it, light the tip, blow it out at once so it smolders, and hold a fireproof dish beneath. Open a window first.
6. Walk through the room with a clear intention, then stub the bundle out fully in sand.

A short history

Historical White sage has long been gathered and used by Indigenous peoples of what is now southern California and Baja California. In the United States, many Native religious practices were suppressed until the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978.

Modern The plant entered the mainstream through the New Age movement and later social media, where the “smudge stick” became shorthand for cleansing. The response from Native communities and ethical herbalists has changed shop shelves, and many witchcraft suppliers now sell garden-sage or rosemary bundles instead.

Safety

All herb smoke irritates lungs and eyes. Ventilate, keep it brief, and keep it away from birds, cats, babies and anyone with asthma. Never leave a smoldering bundle unattended, and put it out in sand or water. Smoke cleansing is a symbolic practice, never a way to clean the air or treat illness.

What next

Read my page on garden sage, the herb I use in its place, and my thoughts on ethics in witchcraft. For the full list of beginner herbs, see herbs and plant magic.