A house that smells good is not necessarily healthy, warns a doctor about fumigation
Currently very fashionable in the West, Fumigationsalso called “smudging,” have been practiced in North America and other countries for centuries, most commonly in shamanic or spiritual rituals. They consist of burning small bundles of dried plants such as sage or rosemary and diffusing the smoke to eliminate them
“Bad energies purify the body and soul, harmonize the divine and the human, and help clear the mind.” These spiritual ceremonies are generally accompanied by prayers.
“Practiced for spiritual reasons and occasionally Fumigations are not a problem, emphasizes Dr. Patrick Aubé, doctor and phytotherapist. On the other handTo date, no study has shown the positive effects on physical health, as is often toutedincorrectly from certain brands. »
Substances that are toxic to the respiratory system
At best, THE Fumigations Dried plants help eliminate bacteria is in the ambient air of a room. An Indian study by the National Botanical Research Institute found that fumigation of a mixture of wood and medicinal plants resulted in a 94% reduction in airborne bacteria.
« However, remember to ventilate the room well during and after fumigation to remove fine particles.polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and formaldehydes… are released by burning plants, such as cigarettes. Remember: a house that smells good is not necessarily a healthy house! “, emphasizes Dr. Aube. In fact, burning aromatic plants converts their active components contain substances that are toxic to the respiratory tractespecially in children, pregnant women and people with asthma.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) also advises against the use of sage in all its forms in children under 18 and people with epilepsy, as it contains camphor molecules that can, among other things, trigger convulsions.
Their only interest is to eliminate bacteria
« We can therefore question the benefit-risk ratio of Fumigations that saturate a space with toxic substances that we already fight against on a daily basis, especially due to environmental pollution. Let’s add that Fumigations have only shown interest in eliminating bacteria that spontaneously disappear within a few days anyway. This fad phenomenon does not seem to me to be very serious and could even prove dangerous if used incorrectly or too regularly (respiratory diseases and allergies, bronchial hypersensitivity, etc.). », adds Dr. Aube added.
Finally, it is important to be vigilant as certain brands coat or soak their products with chemical substances (combustion homogenizer, etc.) to advertise Good burning fumigation sticks. Therefore, the best thing is to let this trend pass or practice it Fumigations occasionally, for example during ceremonies or spiritual connections.
Our expert: Dr. Patrick Aubé, doctor and phytotherapist, author of Easy digestion(Ed. Marie Claire)
