White sage is one of my favorite herbs to grow for smudging ceremonies. Smudging is an ancient ceremony used for purification, cleansing, and blessings.

I grow a variety of herbs for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. By nurturing them from young plants to dried smudge sticks I get a great deal of satisfaction and I feel my smudge sticks are much more powerful because they have my energy.

A variety of dried plants were used by indigenous cultures depending on their location. White sage, lavender, rosemary, sweetgrass, and cedar are ones that I grow on my farm in Kentucky in USDA Zone 6B.

I grow my white sage in the greenhouse where it has spread to outside the plastic as well. If you don’t have much garden space, you can easily grow these in pots as houseplants.

I will walk you through plating and growing white sage. Then we will discuss how to dry them and make bundles. I will also share some of my favorite smudging ceremonies and I hope you are inspired to do your own as well.

History of Smudging

Burning herbs for religious purposes dates back to early cultures where burned herbs have been identified in ornamental pots.

There are many ways of burning herbs including smudging, smoking, saining, and as incense. All of these are variations on the way the herb is used in practice.

The word smudge is an English word that means “a suffocating smoke” and shows little understanding of the spiritual implications.

Smudging is a serious religious and spiritual practice in many indigenous cultures. In fact, smudging of sage and other herbs was practiced world-wide. Early Roman and Egyptian writings discussed the uses of burning sage.

There are many species of sage that can be burned in ceremonies and they all have their own unique characteristics. Blue sage is popular in healing rituals.

White Sage

White Sage (Salvia apiana) is a desert native that is native to the southwestern US and down the western coast of Mexico and Central America. White sage is part of a large family of sages all of which can be used in snudging.

A beautiful landscape plant as well as a medicinal herb. The silver/green leaves contain aromatic oils and smell heavenly.

White sage is a perennial evergreen in warm climates. In cooler climates, it will die down and come back in the spring, however, it won’t survive a harsh winter.

My Kentucky Zone 6B garden borders the northern range of the plant surviving the winter. To give my white sage the best chance I planted it in a raised bed in a greenhouse. I vent the sides of my greenhouse because it often reaches 100°F or more on a sunny July day.

Here is my white sage patch in my greenhouse. This started as one tiny plant!

There are several species of sage including pineapple sage, blue sage, and scarlet sage. There’s even a variety called Death Valley Sage (Salvia funereal) for you darker witches.

One plant called, Dakota white sage, is actually not a sage at all but sagebrush. It is not good for smudging.

Growing White Sage

This desert plant needs full sun – as much as it can get. It also prefers sandy, extremely well-drained soil. Excess moisture will kill white sage.

If you don’t have sandy soil, no worries, I don’t either. I just added sand and peat moss to my natural clay soil (three equal parts) and mixed them together before planting.

White sage spreads quickly so consider the spot in relation to other plants. A raised bed or a pot sunk into the ground will help keep in it check.

White sage has deep taproots that bring up nutrients from the subsoil. I like to plant it near rosemary and oregano which like similar conditions.

Starting White Sage from Seeds

The germination rate is low on white sage making it a challenge to grow from seed. The germination rate is about 30% so you will want to sow it heavily in your seed starting mix.

Use a light seed germination mix and start your white sage about eight weeks before the last frost in your area. Plant three to four seeds in each pot about ¼ inch deep.

Keep the soil slightly moist by misting. Germination takes approximately two weeks in a room that’s between 65-70°F.

Transplanting

When the plants are four inches tall, they are ready to plant outside. Make sure the soil temperature is above 55°F. Give them used to outside conditions with a hardening off period of at least one week.

You can also transplant a root cutting from a friend. Have them dig up a plant that contains a section of root and at least two leaves. Transplant that into a prepared bed once the weather has warmed.

You can also sometimes find plants ready to transplant at local garden stores or online.

Spacing

When planting multiple plants space them at least 18 inches apart. White sage is a shrubby herb that likes to spread. Most varieties get four feet tall and two feet wide, so give it plenty of room.

Planting in Pots

White sage gets fairly tall. Use a larger pot, at least twelve inches, to start it in. It will do well on your porch in the summer and can come inside for winter if you live in the north.

They do have high light needs so an additional plant light may be needed for inside pots.

Caring for White Sage

Mulch

White sage will benefit from a good thick mulch in the fall. I cover mine with several inches of straw to protect them.

Fertilizer

White sage is not a hungry plant and doesn’t require a lot of fertilizer. In fact, too much fertilizer will make the plants spindly and more stem than leaf. It will also attract aphids.

I give my plants about an inch of aged compost around them in the spring.

Water

As a desert native, they do not need a lot of moisture. In fact, overwatering makes them prone to diseases.

Plants in containers may need a bit more water as they are prone to surface dehydrating.

Common Problems

Aphids and Whiteflies

This is my biggest issue with all plants in the sage family. Aphids and whiteflies love white sage and its tender leaves.

Neem oil is an organic pesticide that works well on them.

Powdery Mildew

Powdery mildew is a garden problem and can affect white sage as well. It is easy to recognize by the white blotches covering the leaves of your plants.

Powdery mildew is easily transmitted by fungal spores that travel via the air Make sure your plants are in a spot that has good airflow.

Harvesting and Storing White Sage

Once your plant has become established, you can start harvesting. I always let some of mine go to flower as the bees love it.

Don’t remove more than 30% at any given time. This will encourage the plant to grow back. On established beds, you can take several cutting a season.

I simply bundle mine together and put a rubber band on the end to hold the stems together. Then I hang it upside down to dry. Hang in a cool location with good airflow.

Where I am the weather can be humid. When I initially hang my sage, I do so loosely so that it does not mold in the drying process.

About half-way through the plant will be partially dried yet still have some flexibility without breaking. At that point, I will wind a hemp string around the bundle to pull the leaves closer together.

The plant will burn once it is dry no matter how tight the bundle. The difference is that it will burn slower and be less messy with a tighter wrap.

Medicinal Qualities

White sage has a number of medicinal qualities. It is considered anti-fungal and a natural antibiotic. It contains substances called diterpenoids which have been shown to fight against bacterial infections.

A study in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that sage smoke killed 94% of bacteria in the air for up to 24 hours after burning.

The leaves of white sage high eucalyptol content and Native people would chew it to freshen and cleanse the mouth and to help ward off heatstroke.

Sage may help with Alzheimer’s. One study done on mice should that the mice had improvements in memory after being fed a sage extract.

Fight Colds

White and common sage have both been used historically to combat colds and chest congestion. The eucalyptol content in the leaves helps to clear the air passages. I find the best way to use it is to boil the sage for ten minutes and breathe in the vapors.

What is Smudging?

Smudging, or smoke cleansing, is a way to purify an area such as a room or home. It can also be used for cleansing a person.

Cleansing means to rid the body or home of negative energies and to protect the people and animals that live in the home.

In fact, physicians use smudging as a treatment because it can rid people of negative energy.

The name for the sage family, salvia, means to feel healthy.

Concerns for Cultural Appropriation

There have been some concerns from Native American groups about white sage smudging being cultural appropriation. Traditionally smudging of white sage in Native Communities would specifically be tribes such as the Cahuilla and Chumash in California where the plant is native.

I have listened as many Lakota peoples speak out against smudging by non-Natives. As a Cree, whose grandmother was raised in Canada, we don’t have a history of smudging using white sage. White sage does not grow in the Dakotas or Canada naturally because it is too cold.

Yet we all smudge with it now because it is such a powerful herb. This has been an easy extension to make from using native herbs and tobacco in smoking ceremonies.

Sadly, in the US, Native peoples were forbidden to practice their religion, and smudging was banned by an oppressive white government. This history makes many Natives understandably angry.

One argument that Native Americans make is that people are going out and foraging for white sage in a non-sustainable manner. The plants can and do die out if not harvested properly.

White sage is considered a common plant and is not endangered – yet. Harvesting it from public lands is illegal however it is not on the ICUN endangered list.

In addition, spiritual leaders emphasize the spiritual connection when removing parts of a plant for religious purposes. It is important to thank the plant and thank the Gods. Respect is shown at all stages.

Whenever you forage plants from the wild you should do so sustainably and more importantly with respect. Thank the plant and honor the importance of your connection to the earth.

So, yet another reason to grow your own!

Author, Ame Vanorio, teaching a class in smudging for the local extension office homemakers group.

Prepare to Smudge

First, gather and dry your white sage. Once it has dried, it can be burned. White sage works well for smudging because it burns slowly and creates steady smoke, which is necessary for the ceremony.

The bundles you made while drying your sage should burn slowly. You can hold the burning bundle (carefully) as you move around the room or place it in a dish. Carry the sage carefully and quickly extinguish any embers that fall.

Often an abalone or other large shell is used as a way to honor the plants and Native people from the west coast. In addition, the shell is a water symbol that balances the smoke, an air symbol.

During the smudging ceremony, the dried sage is typically placed in a shell or ceremonial dish. You can also light the end of the sage with a match or a burning candle. As it burns, the holder walks around the location and wafts the smoke over their head and in the direction of objects needing protection or cleansing. You can cleanse people as well as places, and experienced practitioners suggest you start by cleansing people before you cleanse places.

How to Smudge

Smudging is very powerful and spiritual. The spaces that we are in all have energies. Our home, a specific room, our barns, and gardens, even our bodies, all hold energy.

This energy is affected by who and what is there. Negative energies can enter and build up. Smudging is one way to cleanse our environment of negative energies.

In smudging the smoke rises taking negative energy away. Smudging cleanses, us as we call on the sacred plants power to cast away negative energy.

When smudging with white sage the smoke is directed or wafted using a hand or spiritual item such as a feather, fan, or tree branch. A feather is significant as birds fly in the heavens. Many origin stories use birds as a way of connecting the earth to the heavens.

A smudge stick, as described above can be held as you walk around the room or person. You can also burn the loose leaves in a fireproof dish or shell.

If you are leading a smudging ceremony it is important to cleanse yourself first.

Cleansing a Person

To cleanse a person, move the smoking bundle around the person’s body. Some people like to start at the heart, others prefer to end there. Waft the smoke around all parts of the body.

You can pay attention to any body parts that are stressed or injured.

Cleansing a Room

To cleanse a room, start at the far corner and work your way out of the room so that negative energy is pushed out. You can do your whole home or just one room.

Be intentional as you move. Step with purpose wafting the smoke around each room in every direction. Invoke each cardinal direction.

Read more about directions and Natures Calendar in our blog.

Open doors and windows so the negative energy can leave the home.

Ending Your Smudge

When you have finished smudging extinguish your bundle. Don’t leave the fire burning. To extinguish place in some sand or earth either in a dish or outside.

You can reuse your smudge stick another day.

Prayers and Intentions

I often say this prayer

Thank you, Mother Earth, for holding me

Thank you Great Spirit for holding me close

Thank you for riding me of negative energy and filling me with joy and peace.

Intentions

You may wish to speak an intention as you cleanse yourself or place. Our words are powerful in themselves. Choose an intention that fits in with your spiritual path.

Some good intentions:

I cleanse my home of negativity
I send away all negative energy
Energy of peace enter my body
I live in harmony with the Earth
Thank you, Mother Earth, for your abundance
I choose light and love

Some Safety Tips

Only have the sage burning while doing the ceremony
Open windows if you are inside
Don’t smudge around people with allergies or heart and lung problems
Pregnant women should use care not to breathe in smoke

Author, Ame Vanorio likes to joke that she is 1/2 pagan and 1/2 Catholic due to her Native (Cree) and Italian heritage. She is the director of Fox Run Environmental Education Center, an environmental educator, and a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Ame writes about honoring nature and animal spirit guides. She also does our social media pages.