Sandalwood

From Free net encyclopedia

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 India, Hawaii, and many south Pacific islands. It is most commonly used for incense, aromatherapy, and perfume, rather than building. However, 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 native princes in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) since the 9th century. Jewelry boxes, fans, and ornate carvings continue to be made in many parts of Asia using sandalwood.

1 Source
2 Production
3 Use
4 Bibliography
5 External links

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Source

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Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) is currently in serious shortage and very expensive. Although all sandalwood trees in India are government owned and their harvest is strictly controlled, many of the sandalwood trees are still illegally cut and smuggled out by local gangs for export. Sandal essential oil prices have risen up to $1000-1500 per kg in last 5 years. Some countries look to sandal oil trade as illegal activities - from an ecological point of view. Sandalwood from Mysore region of southern India are generally considered to have the highest quality.
Hawaiian sandalwood (Santalum ellipticum; ‘iliahi alo‘e in Hawaiian) was also commonly used and considered high in quality.
Some aromatherapists and perfumers are using Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum), though this differs in the concentrations of constituent chemicals and, thus, in odor.

West Indian sandalwood (Amyris balsamifera) is neither Indian nor in the sandalwood family. Components of amyris essential oil are fully different from sandalwood oil.

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Production

To produce commercially valuable sandalwood with high levels of fragrance oils, the 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 tree instead of cutting off the top half only. This way, valuable wood from the stump and root can also be processed for oil instead of remaining behind as a stump.

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Use

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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.

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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.

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Medicine

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

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