Big Sagebrush Bundles

Artemisia tridentata

Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is one of the most frequently used sages by Native Americans. It is found throughout the West, Northwest, Southwest, and Plains states. It was used medicinally by the Cahuilla, Diegueño, Flathead, Havasupai, Hopi, Navajo, Paiute, Salish, Zuni and others. Treatments varied from burning the plant and inhaling the smoke to making teas, and poultices. The Cahuilla called it wikwat and made a tea from the leaves for stomach disorders. Both the Cahuilla and Paiute collected the seeds as a food source to make a type of flour. Big Sagebrush was also used by some tribes as a building material, fuel source, and a plant to make yellow dye. Ceremonially, it was used by various tribes to become spiritually clean.

Today, the plant is used for smudging in the same manner as other sages. The scent of Big Sagebrush is often associated with the "West" because of its widespread presence in western plateaus and regions. When dried in bundles, it has a somewhat “dusty sage” scent. But in the wild, if you are fortunate enough to experience a warm summer afternoon thunderstorm, the air can be filled with the unmistakable aroma of Big Sagebrush!

If you’ve followed us for a while, you know we used to call this “Desert Sage”. But in the last few years, the marketplace has become completely confused with various names for this plant. It is being called Gray Sage, Blue Sage, Shasta Sage, Desert Sage, and undoubtedly many other names. We likely had a hand in starting all this by calling it Desert Sage in the early 1990’s. At the time, most sage available was either “white sage” (California White Sage - Salvia apiana) or “gray sage” (Big Sagebrush - Artemisia tridentata). We started offering sage we were obtaining from South Dakota which was also known as “white” or “gray” sage and that just confused everything. So we started calling this sage “Desert Sage” because in the west, it is most commonly found in the high desert ecosystems. So in an attempt to help prevent all the confusion, we now just call this by its common name, “Big Sagebrush.”

Our sage bundles are wildcrafted in California and average about 8 inches in length and 1½ inches in width.

Big Sagebrush Bundles - Minis

Artemisia tridentata

Big Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is one of the most frequently used sages by Native Americans. It is found throughout the West, Northwest, Southwest, and Plains states. It was used medicinally by the Cahuilla, Diegueño, Flathead, Havasupai, Hopi, Navajo, Paiute, Salish, Zuni and others. Treatments varied from burning the plant and inhaling the smoke to making teas, and poultices. The Cahuilla called it wikwat and made a tea from the leaves for stomach disorders. Both the Cahuilla and Paiute collected the seeds as a food source to make a type of flour. Big Sagebrush was also used by some tribes as a building material, fuel source, and a plant to make yellow dye. Ceremonially, it was used by various tribes to become spiritually clean.

Our mini sage bundles are wildcrafted in California and average about 5 inches in length and 1 inch in width.

California White Sage / Big Sagebrush Bundles

Salvia apiana / Artemisia tridentata

Blended California White Sage and Big Sagebrush smudge bundles add variety to your smudging and incense practices. When burned, both sages are believed to ward off bad spirits, feelings, and energies. Both the California White Sage and Big Sagebrush is wildcrafted in California. Bundles are about 8-9 inches in length and 1¾ inches in diameter.

California White Sage / Big Sagebrush Bundles - Minis

Salvia apiana / Artemisia tridentata

Blended California White Sage and Big Sagebrush smudge bundles add variety to your smudging and incense practices. When burned, both sages are believed to ward off bad spirits, feelings, and energies. Both the California White Sage and Big Sagebrush is wildcrafted in California. These are mini bundles are about 5 inches in length and 1½ inches in diameter.

California White Sage Bundles

Salvia apiana

California White Sage is unique among all the sages in the world. Its broad leaves grow in beautiful flower-like clusters that sit atop a silvery stalk. Its scent is unmistakable with a strong, pleasant aroma that evokes the chaparral environment of the mountains of Southern California, the habitat where California White Sage is found. The Cahuilla, a Native American tribe that lived in what is now San Diego and Riverside counties, called white sage qas’ily and used its seeds to make a type of flour. They also used white sage as a cure for colds, preparing the leaves in various manners. It is also known that white sage was burned, the smoke being used to purify objects.

Today, the strong scent of California White Sage is prized for use in smudging, and when burned, is believed to purify people, places, and objects. All of our white sage is wildcrafted from plants growing in the wild. The families we work with work hard to collect the best sage they can find and finely craft our smudge bundles in various sizes. Our sage bundles are offered by size and are graded by approximate length and width. Because each bundle is hand-crafted, there will always be variation.

California White Sage Bundles - Minis

Salvia apiana

California White Sage is a broad leaf sage and is prized for its strong scent. When burned during smudging, it is believed to purify people, places, and objects. All of our white sage is wildcrafted from the coastal mountains of Southern California. Our mini white sage bundles average about 4 x 1½ inches and are great for one-time use.

California White Sage / Cedar Bundles - Minis

Salvia apiana / Calocedrus sp.

Blended California White Sage and Cedar smudge bundles add variety to your smudging and incense practices. When burned, the strong scent of the broad leaf California White Sage is believed to ward off bad spirits, feelings, and energies. Cedar is believed to attract good spirits and among the Plains Apache, burning cedar is believed to ward off ghosts. Both the white sage and cedar is wildcrafted in California. These are mini bundles are about 4½ inches in length and 1¼ inches in diameter.

California White Sage / Cedar Smudge Bundles

Salvia apiana / Calocedrus sp.

Blended California White Sage and Cedar smudge bundles add variety to your smudging and incense practices. When burned, the strong scent of the broad leaf California White Sage is believed to ward off bad spirits, feelings, and energies. Cedar is believed to attract good spirits and among the Plains Apache, burning cedar is believed to ward off ghosts. Both the white sage and cedar is wildcrafted in California. Bundles are about 9 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter.

California White Sage / Juniper Bundles

Salvia apiana / Juniperus occidentalis

Blended California White Sage and Juniper smudge bundles add variety to your smudging and incense practices. When burned, the strong scent of the broad leaf California White Sage is believed to ward off bad spirits, feelings, and energies. It is said that among the Cheyenne, juniper needles were sometimes burned to remove fear of thunder. Both the white sage and juniper is wildcrafted in California. Bundles are about 9 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter.

California White Sage / Juniper Bundles - Minis

Salvia apiana / Juniperus occidentalis

Blended California White Sage and Juniper smudge bundles add variety to your smudging and incense practices. When burned, the strong scent of the broad leaf California White Sage is believed to ward off bad spirits, feelings, and energies. It is said that among the Cheyenne, juniper needles were sometimes burned to remove fear of thunder. Both the white sage and juniper is wildcrafted in California. These are mini bundles and average about 4½ inches long and 1¼ inches wide.