Sandalwood Oil has been used for perfumery, medicinal, religious and cultural purposes over many centuries. Belonging to the Family Santalaceae and Genus Santalum, the most common species used for essential oil extraction are S. album, S. spicatum, S. austrocaledonium, S. peniculatum. The sandalwood tree grows almost exclusively in the forests of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh in India, asa well as Timor islands of Indonesia. As the tree grows, the essential oil develops in the roots and heartwood which requires at least 15 to 20 years, however full maturity is reached after 60 to 80 years.
Sandalwood and its oil has a great history of more than 5000 years in India. In Hinduism and Ayurveda, it is consistently being used since then in prayers, ritualistic ceremonies as it is believed to bring one closer to divine. It is often found in idol carvings in Buddhist temples. It has been used in religious carvings and to decorate the deities. The Chinese called it Bai tan xiang, and for the Japanese, it is Byakudan or Senden. Native to India, Sandalwood is known by different names in different languages :
- Chandana in Hindi
- Agarugandha, Chandala, Bhadrasri in Kannada
- Chandanam, Chandana-mutti in Malyalam
- Gandhachakoda in Marathi
- Valgaka in Oriya
- Sandhanam in Tamil
- Sandal and Safaid in Urdu
Sandalwood became widely popular to be used for medicinal purposes in ancient times. It was used in folk medicines for the treatment of cough, cold, skin disorders, heart ailments, urinary tract infections, fever, hypertension and other neurotic concerns. The Oil has been used as an antiseptic, antimicrobial, and expectorant, muscle relaxant and other therapeutic properties since ancient times. Despite that, Sandalwood Oil was also used for its sweet and calming fragrance in perfumes also. It became popular for its use in fragrance industries in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Today, it is extensively used in cosmetics, perfumery, aromatherapy and pharmaceutical industry. No composition of heavy or oriental type perfume is complete without an ample dose of Sandalwood oil. Sandalwood Oil is used as a flavoring substance in food products and beverages. Most Indian Attars use Sandalwood oil as the base because of its inherent capacity to enhance the stability. The story, uses and benefits of Sandalwood is really fascinating to us. More research is being performed on its applications and advantages. The global demand for sandalwood has grown rapidly and has resulted in its significant depletion leading to scarcity of S. album Oil, due to which it is one of the most expensive essential oils in the world.
