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Sandalwood

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	Topics Sandalwood Topic Home Sandalwood is the name for several fragrant woodWood Wood is derived from woody plants, notably trees but also shrubs.... s and their essential oilEssential oil Summary An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants.... . Most are medium-sized hemiparasitic treeTree A tree is a large, perennial, woody plant.... s of the SantalaceaeFacts About Santalaceae Santalaceae is a widely distributed family of plants which, like other members of Santalales, are partially parasitic on oth... family of the genus, SantalumSantalum *Santalum* is a genus of woody flowering plants, the most well known and commercially valuable of which is the Indian Sand... . The most notable members of this group are Santalum albumSantalum album *Santalum album* is a small tropical tree of the Santalaceae family, commonly known as the source of sandalwood.... , Indian Sandalwood and Santalum spicatumSantalum spicatum Western Australian sandalwood, *Santalum spicatum, often just called sandalwood, is a tree native to semi-arid areas of s... , Australian sandalwood. Several other members of the genus species also have fragrant wood and are found across IndiaIndia India* , officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia.... , AustraliaAustralia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland o... , IndonesiaFacts About Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a nation of islands consisting of 18,110 islands in the South Eas... , and the Pacific IslandsOceania Summary Oceania is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands but usually includi... . Sandalwood has been valued for centuries for its fragrancePerfume Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, ob... , woodworking, and various purported medicinal qualities. The local name in IndonesiaIndonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a nation of islands consisting of 18,110 islands in the South Eas... and MalaysiaMalaysia Malaysia is a federation of 13 states in Southeast Asia, formed in 1963.... is "*Cendana" (Pronounced Churn.dar.nar). Sandalwoods Santalum albumFacts About Santalum album Santalum album* is a small tropical tree of the Santalaceae family, commonly known as the source of sandalwood.... , or Indian sandalwood, is currently endangered and consequently very expensive. Although all sandalwood trees in India and Nepal are government-owned and their harvest is strictly controlled, many trees are illegally cut down and smuggled out of the country. Sandalwood essential oilEssential oil An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants.... 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 MysoreMysore Mysore is the second largest city in the Indian state of Karnataka.... region of KarnatakaFacts About Karnataka Karnataka is one of the four southern states of India.... , Southern India is widely considered to be of the highest quality available. New plantationPlantation A plantation is an intentional planting of a crop, on a larger scale, usually for uses other than cereal production or pastu... s have been set up with international aidForeign aid Foreign aid is a situation in which one country helps another country through some form of donation.... in Tamilnadu in order to facilitate the economic benefits of sandalwood. Today, in Kununurra in Western Australia, Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) is being grown on a very large scale. Huge plantations surround this picturesque little town. Santalum ellipticum, known as Hawaiian sandalwood ( ‘iliahi alo‘e ), is also used and deemed of high quality. Santalum spicatumSantalum spicatum Western Australian sandalwood, *Santalum spicatum, often just called sandalwood, is a tree native to semi-arid areas of s... (Australian sandalwood) is used by some aromatherapistsAromatherapy Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and alternative medicine , is the use of volatile liquid plant material... and perfumers. The concentration of constituent chemicals in its essential oil - and hence, its aroma - differ considerably from those of other Santalum* species. In the 1840’s, sandalwood was Western Australia’s biggest export earner. Oil was distilled for the first time in 1875, and by the turn of the century, there was intermittent production of Australian sandalwood oil. Amyris balsamifera, also known as West Indian sandalwood, is a member of the rutaceaeRutaceae Rutaceae is a family of plants of the order Sapindales.... family and not a true sandalwood. The tree is native to Central and South America and the West Indies. Most commercially available amyris oil is distilled in Haiti. The fragrant wood of Pterocarpus santalinusPterocarpus santalinus *Pterocarpus santalinus* is a species of Pterocarpus native to India.... is referred to as red sandalwood. 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 oilEssential oil An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants.... provides perfumes with a striking wood base noteNote (perfumery) Notes in perfumery are descriptors in of scents that can be sensed upon the application of a perfume.... . Sandalwood smells not unlike other wood scents, except it has a bright and fresh edge with few natural analogues. When used in smaller proportions in a perfumePerfume Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, ob... , it is an excellent fixativeFixative A fixative is a stabilizing or preservative agent. There are several different compounds called fixatives:... to enhance the head space of other fragrances. The oil from sandalwood is widely used in the cosmetic industry and is expensive. The true sandalwood is a protected species, and its demand cannot be met. Many species of plants are traded under the name of "sandalwood". Within the genus santalum alone, there are more than 19 varieties that can be called sandalwood. Traders will often accept oil from closely related species such as various species of santalum genus and the oil of West Indian sandalwood (Amyris balsamifera) from the family of Rutaceae. Religious use In HinduismHinduism Hinduism is a set of religious traditions that originated mainly in the Indian subcontinent.... , sandalwood is often used for rituals or ceremonies. It is used as an embalmingEmbalming Embalming, in most modern cultures, is the art and science of temporarily preserving human remains to forestall decompositio... paste in temples on idols. The bindiBindi (decoration) A bindi is a forehead decoration worn in South and Southeast Asia.... dot is sometimes created from sandalwood paste. Sandalwood is considered in alternative medicineAlternative medicine Alternative medicine describes practices used in place of conventional medical treatments.... to bring one closer with the divine. Sandalwood essential oilEssential oil An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants.... , which is very expensive in its pure form, is used primarily for Ayurvedic purposes and treating anxietyAnxiety Anxiety is a complex combination of emotions that includes fear, apprehension and worry, and is often accompanied by physica... . It is said to have been used for embalming the corpses of princes in Ceylon since the 9th century9th century As a means of recording the passage of time the 9th century was that century that lasted from 801 to 900.... . In BuddhismBuddhism Buddhism is a dharmic, non-theistic religion, a way of life, a practical philosophy, and arguably a form of psychology.... , sandalwoods are considered to be of the Padma group and attributed to the BodhisattvaBodhisattva In Buddhist thought, a bodhisattva is a being who is dedicated to assisting all sentient beings in achieving complete Buddh... AmitabhaAmitabha Amitabha is a celestial Buddha described in the scriptures of Mahayana Buddhism.... . Sandalwood scent is believed to transform one's desires and maintain a person's alertness while in meditationMeditation The term Meditation describes a variety of practices with a variety of goals.... . Sandalwood is also one of the more popular scents used for incenseIncense Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal ... used when offering incense to the Buddha. Sandalwood, along with agarwoodAgarwood Agarwood or eaglewood is the most expensive wood in the world.... , is the most popular and commonly used incense material by the ChineseReligion in China Overview Religion in China has varied widely since the beginning of Chinese history.... and JapaneseReligion in Japan Most Japanese people do not believe in any one particular religion; instead they incorporate the features of many religions in the... in worship and various ceremonies. It is also used extensively in Indian incenseIncense of India Indian Incense is known as agarbatti in Hindi .... , religiously or otherwise. Firekeeping priests, who have maintained sacred fires for centuries, accept sandalwood twigs from ZoroastrianZoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster .... worshippers as their contribution for sustaining the fire. Medicine Sandalwood essential oilEssential oil Summary An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants.... was popular in medicine up to 1920-1930, mostly as urogenital (internal) and skin (external) antiseptic. Its main component beta-santalol (~90%) has antimicrobialAntimicrobial An antimicrobial is a substance that kills or slows the growth of microbes like bacteria, fungi, viruses, or parasites.... properties. It is used in aromatherapyAromatherapy Aromatherapy, commonly associated with complementary and alternative medicine , is the use of volatile liquid plant material... and to prepare soapSOAP SOAP is a protocol for exchanging XML-based messages over a computer network, normally using [].... s. Due to this antimicrobial activity, it can be used to clear skin from blackheads and spots, but it must always be properly diluted with a carrier oil. Because of its strength, sandalwood oil should never be applied to the skin without a carrier oil. Technology Due to its low fluorescenceFacts About Fluorescence Fluorescence is a luminescence that is mostly found as an optical phenomenon in cold bodies, in which the molecular absorpti... and optimal refractive indexRefractive index The refractive index of a material is the factor by which the phase velocity of electromagnetic radiation is slowed in that... , sandalwood oil is often employed as an immersion oil within ultraviolet and fluorescence microscopy. Food Aborginals in Australia ate the seed kernels, nuts, and fruit of sandalwood. Bibliography Mandy Aftel, Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume, Gibbs Smith, 2001, ISBN 1-58685-702-9 The Good Scents Company, West Indian (Amyris balsamifera) content http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/es1028831.html Essential Oils Company, East Indian (Santalum album) Glc Test Report http://www.essentialoilscompany.com/swglc.htm External links