What’s So Particular About Sandalwood?
by Sarah Villafranco, MD
Ingredient:
Sandalwood important oil
What’s the fancy Latin identify for sandalwood?
Santalum alba, or Santalum spicatum
The place does sandalwood come from?
India and Australia, predominantly. The Indian species, Santalum alba, is essentially the most revered type, however is now endangered resulting from aggressive harvesting practices, and the important oil provide could be very restricted. We use wild Australian sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, which is wild or plantation-grown and ethically harvested, with sustainability practices monitored intently by the Australian authorities. The fragrant profile of the Australian species is much like that of the Indian species, particularly because the oil wears on the pores and skin over time.
What are the aromatherapy advantages of sandalwood?
Sandalwood has been utilized in spiritual and social ceremonies for millennia, and remains to be used to facilitate meditation, transfer by levels of grief, and encourage creativity. It’s also used to assist in instances of melancholy and nervousness, and is an efficient aphrodisiac. It could assist in some instances of insomnia. In Ayurveda, sandalwood is used to calm extra Pitta (fireplace). Conventional Chinese language drugs makes use of sandalwood to chill infected situations of the gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and pulmonary techniques.
What are the pores and skin advantages of sandalwood?
Sandalwood is a gentle astringent, and has antibacterial qualities. It’s also anti-inflammatory, and will be helpful for sure pores and skin irritations like pimples and eczema. Purple sandalwood powder, which comes from a very totally different household of bushes than sandalwood oil, is used as a gentle exfoliant and pores and skin brightener.
Enjoyable information about sandalwood:
- Sandalwood important oil is harvested when the bushes are between 30 and 50 years outdated – good issues DO come to those that wait. The oil has been utilized in perfumery for over 2000 years and is usually thought-about protected throughout being pregnant.
- Sandalwood has a scandalous historical past, largely centered round unlawful smuggling of the extremely useful wooden and important oil. Probably the most well-known sandalwood smuggler was an Indian bandit known as Veerappan, who murdered over 100 individuals in his smuggling profession, and was lastly killed by a particular job power known as Operation Cocoon in 2004. The Indian individuals celebrated his dying. He was additionally an elephant poacher, so he was a doubly unpopular man.
- One final truth: Sandalwood bushes are parasitic in nature, that means that they derive some or all of their vitamins from the roots of different dwelling vegetation. (Feed me, Seymour!) As you’ll be able to think about, this makes it all of the harder to develop, as you need to present sufficient host vegetation along with the sandalwood bushes themselves.
With love and a lot (sustainably-sourced) sandalwood from us to you,
The knowledge contained on this put up is for instructional curiosity solely and isn’t meant to characterize claims for actions of sandalwood. This data will not be meant for use for analysis or therapy of any bodily or psychological sickness or illness.
