Smoke Cleansing vs. Smudging

What Smudging Actually Is

Smudging is a North American Indigenous ceremony, practiced by nations such as:

Lakota
Ojibwe
Cree
Dene
Cherokee
Navajo
Coast Salish

While each nation is different, smudging generally includes:

prayer or song
ceremonial herbs (white sage, sweetgrass, cedar, tobacco)
a lineage of teaching passed through elders
a sacred cultural framework

If you weren’t taught by that community, you are not smudging.
You are practicing your own culture’s smoke tradition.

What Smoke Cleansing Is

Across the world, people burned herbs for:

banishment
healing
blessing
boundary protection
ancestral veneration
seasonal rites
newborn purification
preparing ritual spaces

The method is global — but the herbs change with the land.

Below is a worldwide view of smoke cleansing traditions.

Global Traditions of Smoke Cleansing

Europe

Mugwort (banishing, dreamwork)
Juniper (sickness removal)
Thyme (courage, sanctification)
Bay Laurel (prophecy, protection)
Pine (purification, winter rites)

Middle East & Mediterranean

Frankincense (protection, offerings)
Myrrh (cleansing, funerary rites)
Olive leaves (peace, warding)
Rue (Ruta graveolens) (evil eye protection)

Asia

Sandalwood (cleansing, ancestors)
Agarwood / Oud (ritual purity)
Camphor (banishing)
Holy basil / Tulsi (purification)

Africa

African sage (not white sage; local species used in healing)
Kampor tree leaves (cleansing rites)
Resins like copal Africanum (ancestral offerings)

Central & South America (non-Indigenous practitioners should be cautious)

Copal resin (Mesoamerican ceremonial use — handle with respect)
Palo Santo (use only ethical, certified fallen wood)

Oceania

Tea tree leaves (cleansing, antimicrobial)
Eucalyptus (banishing sickness, clearing heaviness)

Smoke cleansing is universal — but always rooted in local land and local spirits.

Why White Sage Is Not Necessary

White sage (Salvia apiana) is sacred to several Indigenous nations, and commercial harvesting has endangered wild populations.

You never need white sage.
You have powerful herbs wherever you live.

How to Perform a Global-Friendly Smoke Cleansing Ritual

This method respects worldwide traditions without appropriating Indigenous ceremony.

Choose a local or ethically sourced herb.
Set one clear intention.
Burn loose herbs in a heat-proof bowl or censer.
Move clockwise to bless or counterclockwise to banish.
Focus on doors, windows, corners, and your bed.
Close the ritual with a grounding phrase, such as:

“Smoke of earth and leaf of land,
Clear this space and bless it clean.”

When to Use the Word “Smoke Cleansing”

Use “smudging” only if:

you belong to an Indigenous nation and
you were taught the ceremony by that community

If not, “smoke cleansing” is the correct and respectful term.

To dive deeper:

Want to Go Deeper into Ritual Smoke?

If you want to build a smoke practice rooted in safety, ancestry, and the land beneath your feet, these guides will help you take the next steps:

Herbs That Are Toxic When Burned — an essential list of plants that release harmful compounds when burned, so your practice stays safe, informed, and grounded in real herbal knowledge.
How to Use Herbs for Smoke Cleansing — a practical walkthrough of choosing the right herbs, preparing them, and building a personal cleansing ritual without cultural borrowing.