AROMATHERAPY AND ESSENTIAL OILS (SANDALWOOD TREE/ SADALWOOD OIL)

AROMATHERAPY AND ESSENTIAL OILS (SANDALWOOD TREE/ SADALWOOD OIL)

 TRUE SANDALWOOD TREE (Santalum album)

True sandalwood is a medium size tree extensively cultivated in southern India. Sandalwood has the characteristic of being parasitic on the roots of other plants. Sandalwood is a slow growing tree with a very long lifespan. It has heavy sweet smelling woods. It’s found in China, Tibet and Australia, and other parts of the world that favor its growth.

A SHORT HISTORY OF SANDALWOOD TREE

In ancient monk monasteries and Chinese temples, sandalwood was used for worship. Incents where produced from sandalwood for worship sessions, in those monasteries and temples sandalwood served as protection for gold images or protection against thieves for other worship items.

SANDALWOOD OIL

Sandalwood essential oil is extracted from the wood of the sandalwood tree and not from the leaves. Sandalwood oil is extracted by steam distillation. True sandalwood (Santalum album) is the most common specie used essential oil extraction. Sandalwood essential oil is usually thick yellow oil with fresh, warm woody aroma.

Sandalwood oil major components are sesquiterpenic alcohols, alpha-santalola and b-santalol. Sesquiterpenic alcohol making up 80 to 90 % of it’s content.

USES OF SANDALWOOD OIL

Sandalwood oil distilled from its roots and heartwood is used in soap, perfume, and ointments and for Eastern religious ceremonies. It’s also used in aromatherapy and other alternative medicine practices for various treatments. Its one of the best anti-microbial essential oil. It’s a remedy for acne, black head and other diseases.

Many doctors use sandalwood oil to treat herpes virus. Some men and women use sandalwood oil as an aphrodisiac, because it’s an effective relaxant. It’s also used to treat depression, eczema, respiratory infection, anxiety and urinary tract infection. Sandalwood oil servers as a good antiseptic and expectorant.

Because true sandalwood is rare and expensive, substitutes are often made from other plants.

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