The practice of smudging dates back to prehistoric times, and
is still very much in use today worldwide for cleansing everything
from dwellings to human spirits. However recent research has shed
light on the popularity of this activity, revealing that burning
certain plant matter actually clears harmful bacteria.
All Western use of burning herbs and plants for spiritual purposes
aside, the activity rests firmly in the sensibilities of ancient
cultures in that, historically, smudging was believed to put forth
the spirits of various allies to provide ease and balance
to an individual or group.
In this way, the practice was used to clear spiritual and emotional
negativity that has built up in a body or a space.
Of course, there are skeptics who belittle the practice as unscientific
and akin to magic. The practice has a negative association to a
form of cultural imperialism, where traditions of dwindling indigenous
populations are co-opted by the descendants of those who more-or-less
conquered them.
The scientific paper entitled Medicinal Smokes and
published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology focuses a scientific
lens on the practice, which is becoming more and more widely practiced,
despite skepticism.
It serves to play against the role that this activity has played
in a culturally diverse range of religions and tribal beliefs.
The research study looked into herbal and non-herbal remedies
that were administered by the burning of various matter.
The research included information from 50 countries over 5 continents
and found that, predominantly, smoke administered medicinally is
mostly used to aid lung, brain and skin function. In addition, it
was revealed that passive fumes doubled as a sort of air purifier.
The purpose of the study was to see whether or not these medicinal
smoke deliveries could be explored by western medicine, because
The advantages of smoke-based remedies are rapid delivery
to the brain, more efficient absorption by the body and lower costs
of production.
A follow up paper published in the same periodical, Medicinal
smoke reduces airborne bacteria, found that the research concluded
that, in addition to health benefits, smudging was a powerful antiseptic.
We have observed that 1 hour treatment of medicinal smoke
emanated by burning wood and a mixture of odoriferous and medicinal
herbs (havan sámagri=material used in oblation to fire all
over India), on aerial bacterial population caused over 94% reduction
of bacterial counts by 60 min and the ability of the smoke to purify
or disinfect the air and to make the environment cleaner was maintained
up to 24 hour in the closed room.
Absence of pathogenic bacteria Corynebacterium urealyticum,
Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens, Enterobacter aerogenes (Klebsiella
mobilis), Kocuria rosea, Pseudomonas syringae pv. persicae, Staphylococcus
lentus, and Xanthomonas campestris pv. tardicrescens in the open
room even after 30 days is indicative of the bactericidal potential
of the medicinal smoke treatment.
We have demonstrated that using medicinal smoke it is possible
to completely eliminate diverse plant and human pathogenic bacteria
of the air within confined space.
In short, burning medicinal herbs cleared airborne bacterial
populations by 94%, and the space was still found to be disinfected
a day later. Whats more, a month after smudging, much of the
pathogens originally found were still undetectable.
This has profound implications, as modern air quality in the
developed and undeveloped world is atrocious, containing up to 1800
bacterial types, many of them pathogenic. With an increasing deadly
array of antibacterial-resistant strains, well need all the
help we can get.
Conventional methods of sterilization often employ chemical
cocktails that are typically much less effective than purported.
Smudging seems to be an effective alternative, while also being
natural and safe to use.
In conclusion, the ancient practice of burning powerful herbal
material may be much much more than just a primitive belief that
we can simply disregard due to it being unscientific.
Of course, this should not take away from the properties of
smudging in the area of energy system and soul cleansing and in
the power of aromatherapy.
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