Smudges: Smoking with the Smoking Bundle
Smudges are a special form of incense invented by the North American natives and have been used for smoking for several centuries. For this purpose, fresh twigs and stems of certain medicinal and power plants were collected in equal lengths and tied together with string and hung up to dry. Once the bundles dried, they were used as incense in rituals to drive away evil spirits, negative energies, to communicate with the gods or ancestors, and to purify places, tipis, objects or people.
By the way: As smoking is called "smudging" by the North American natives, the incense bundles are also called "smudges" or "smudge sticks". In addition, the term smoked cigar, smoked herb stick or smoked stick is also frequently used.
Smoking with Smudge Sticks: How it works
The simplest way to smoke a Smudge Stick is to use a so-called Smudge Bowl. This is a special incense burner into which one end of the stick is inserted and then ignited.
If you prefer something more traditional, you will need a plate or bowl filled with sand in addition to the smudge. When lighting, hold the smudge over the bowl and, as soon as the bundle is burning, blow out the smudge. You now have to blow hard into the embers so that smoke can form. Now you can use the smoking bundle to smoke out your home, for example, to perform a cleansing ritual. Blow regularly into the embers so that new smoke is produced.
Make your own Smudge Sticks
In principle, smudges can also be made yourself. To do so, cut the desired herbs into pieces of equal length. A length of about 10-15 cm has proven to be ideal. Next, tie the cut herbs tightly together with natural yarn and then tie it crosswise so that a kind of net forms around the bundle. Hang the finished bundle to dry.
Buy incense bundles online
If you don't want to make your own incense bundle, you can find ready-made smudges for smoking in our shop. These include herb bundles made from mugwort, white sage, juniper or cedar.
Do you have questions about smoking with herbs, our products and our incense bundles? The Herbathek team is there for you. Whether in person in our shop, by phone, by email or via the well-known social media channels, we will be happy to advise you.
By the way: In our blog, we have compiled a further article for you on the subject of smoking with herbs.