How to Make Smudge Sticks with Backyard Plants

Connecting To Plants

This is a deep and beautiful way to connect to the plants in your garden. It requires some quiet time and connection, and it also requires you still your thoughts and that you focus on the plant you will use. This is an intuitive and spiritual process. It can be done alone or you could do it with others who want to share in the experience.

Before you begin, decide the intention of your smudge stick. Are you using it to clear energies, for protection, or to bring in good luck? Perhaps you prefer to be intuitively guided fo the combination of plants you will use. You can combine any number of herbs in any way you would like.

When you are ready to begin, always ask the plant for permission to harvest. You will be guided accordingly. Also always give thanks to the plant for sharing their medicine and energy with you, and leave an offering behind. Offerings may differ depending on what you are called to use. Ceremonial tobacco is used but the Indigenous people of this land. Feel free to offer some homemade beer, kombucha, or another brew. You may have or rocks or stones already have in your possession that you would like to offer. You could even use colored thread, hum or sing a song or play something on a musical instrument. Lastly, offering a strand of one’s hair is not uncommon either.

Harvest plants with care. Do not over harvest anything, leave enough behind. Stems, flowers, and leaves can be used.

How To Wrap The Bundles

Once all the plants have been gathered, it is time to bundle them together. It is easier if you have someone helping with this process that can hold the bundle together. If not work on a flat surface, pulling the thread tight with one hand while you rotate the bundle on the work surface with the other.

Arrange the plants in a bundle lining up the tops together and facing the same direction.
Use embroidery thread or other fine thread to tie the bundle together. Red thread is used in ceremonial use, feel free to use any color that feels right to you.
Cut the thread to be at least 2 arm’s length.
Begin by tightly wrapping the thread at the base of the stem 9 times, leaving a 2-3 inch loose tail.
Then start to wrap the thread upwards around the bundle, it is suggested that 9 loops be made up the bundle and then 9 back down.
Finish by tightly wrapping the thread 9 times around the base again.
Tie it off tightly with the original loose end that was left, and trim.
Trim the bottom of the bundle so that all the twigs/stems are even in length. The leftover cut bits should be returned to the earth once you have completed making the stick.
Leave the bundle in a well-ventilated area to dry out. Turn every few days so that it dries evenly.
As the bundle dries the thread will be looser, therefore it is important to tie it as tightly as possible.

A List of Plants To Use In Smudge Sticks

Marigold: Removes negativity. Used in Day of The Dead ceremonies to clear away negativity and make the space safe for loved ones to return.

Dill: For luck and abundance

Yerba Mansa: Clearing negative energy. Protection. Healing emotional hurts.

Lavender: Protection and calling in spiritual beings. Include stems, leaves, and flowers.

Ginger root or leaf: Speeds up things, protection.

Yarrow: Eliminates toxins from the body, Protection, promotes courage, and heals deep wounds.

Rosemary: Encourages peace and removes negative energy. Soothing.

Bay leaf: A mood booster. Protection and healing, calm

Sage with scented leaves: Cleansing, removes negative energy, blessing, balancing, strengthening. Use white sage, culinary varieties, desert sage, black sage.

Mint: Healing and protection, soothing and energizing.

Catnip: Beauty, love, a comfortable home environment.

Rose: Meditation, psychic abilities, and loving energy.

Thyme: Removes obstacles, negativity, mental blocks. A memory-booster.

Oregano: Fosters happiness. Peace and protection

Lemongrass: Purifying and cleansing.

Eucalyptus: Protection, health, and energizing a cleaning.

Dandelion: Divination and spirit calling.

Pine: Cleansing and purification.

Calendula: Purification.

Creosote: Strength and healing.

Chamomile: Happiness and Comfort.

Basil: Peace and Happiness.

Amaranth: Remove intuitive blocks and healing.

Wormwood: Protective.

Tobacco: Honor the ancestors and cleansing.

Elderberry leaves: Healing and Protection.

Holy Basil: Purification and calming.

Lemon Balm: Spiritual cleansing and calm.

Parsley: dispels negativity and mental blocks.

Brittlebush: Frankincense alternative. Protection and cleansing.

Buckwheat: Support. Desert, California buckwheat, common.

Violet/viola: Lifting the energy, joy, loving energy.

Combination Ideas

Happy Home: Rosemary, rose, catnip, chamomile, lemon balm, basil, lavender, dill.

Protection: Elderberry leaves, Eucalyptus, Oregano, Bay leaf.

Clearing out negative energy: Rosemary, Brittlebush, Pine, Sage.

Meditation: Ginger, dandelion, lavender, amaranth, sage, lemon balm.

Healing: Sage, rosemary, buckwheat, viola, creosote, yarrow, rose

My Smudge Stick

For my smudge stick, I picked plants I was intuitively called to use. This bundle has rosemary, marigold, viola, yerba mansa, thyme, and calendula. I really wanted to use rose, I found one rosebud, a white Iceberg, but it was not right to use. Instead, I added a leafy twig from the Cecile Brunner rose bush I have. I also added a couple of twigs from my Goodwin lavender. Since the plant was so small, I did not want to use much of it. I also needed to go back and tie it up some more. There was some wispy type foliage like the dill with pieces sticking out. It will be dry in about 2 weeks and ready for use.