Sandalwood

Sandalwood is a fragrant wood, and the name may be applied to any of a number of woods. The 'true' sandalwood is the wood of trees in the genus Santalum; found in southern India and Sri Lanka, Hawaii, and many south Pacific islands. It is most commonly used for incense, aromatherapy, perfume, and fine woodworking. Although not commonly used as a construction material, temples have been built with sandalwood in India and retain the aroma after centuries. It is said to have been used for embalming the corpses of princes in Ceylon since the 9th century. Jewelry boxes, fans, and ornate carvings continue to be made in many parts of Asia using sandalwood.

Source

Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) is currently endangered and consequently very expensive. Although all sandalwood trees in India are government-owned and their harvest is strictly controlled, many trees are illegally cut down and smuggled out of the country by local gangs. Sandal essential oil prices have risen up to $1000-1500 per kg in the last 5 years. Some countries regard the sandal oil trade as ecologically harmful because it encourages the overharvesting of sandalwood trees. Sandalwood from Mysore region of southern India is generally considered to be of the highest quality available.
Hawaiian sandalwood (Santalum ellipticum; ‘iliahi alo‘e in Hawaiian) is also commonly used and deemed of high quality.
Some aromatherapists and perfumers use Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum). The concentration of constituent chemicals in its essential oil - and hence, its aroma - differ considerably from those of other Santalum species.

West Indian sandalwood (Amyris balsamifera) is not a member of the sandalwood family; the chemical components of amyris essential oil are entirely different from those of the oil obtained from plants in the Santalum genus.

Production

To produce commercially valuable sandalwood with high levels of fragrance oils, harvested santalum trees have to be at least 40 years of age, but 80 or above is preferred. However, inferior sandalwood produced from trees at 30 years old can still fetch a decent price due to the demand for real sandalwood.

Unlike most trees, sandalwood is harvested by toppling the entire santalum tree instead of sawing them down at the trunk. This way, valuable wood from the stump and root can also be sold or processed for oil.

Use

Fragrance

Sandalwood essential oil provides perfumes with a striking wood base note. Sandalwood smells are not unlike other wood scents with the exception that it has a bright and fresh edge with few natural analogues. When used smaller proportions in a perfume, it is an excellent fixative to enhance the head space of other fragrances.

Religious use

Sandalwood is considered in alternative medicine to bring one closer with the divine. Sandalwood essential oil, which is very expensive in its pure form, is used primarily for Ayurvedic purposes, and treating anxiety.

In Buddhism, sandalwood are considered to be of the Padma (lotus) group and attributed to the Bodhisattva Amitabha. Sandalwood scent is believed to transform one's desires and maintain a person's alertness while in meditation.

Sandalwood, along with agarwood, is the most popular and commonly used incense material by the Chinese and Japanese in worship and various ceremonies.

Firekeeping priests, who have maintained sacred fires for centuries, accept sandalwood twigs from Zoroastrian worshippers as their contribution for sustaining the fire.

Medicine

Sandalwood essential oil was popular in medicine up to 1920-1930, mostly as urogenital (internal) and skin (external) antiseptic. Its main component santalol (~90%) has antimicrobal property. Today it is used in aromatherapy.

Bibliography

Mandy Aftel, Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume, Gibbs Smith, 2001, ISBN 1-58685-702-9

comonaly used in ayurveda to treat skin disorders

External links

Wood | essential oils | Incense | Perfumery

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