The Complete Herbal Guide Directory: A Natural Approach to Healing the Body and Maintaining Optimal Health Using Herbal Supplements, Vitamins, Minerals, Fruits, Vegetables and Alternative Medicine by Dr. Michael Chillemi & Stacey Chillemi

Author:Dr. Michael Chillemi & Stacey Chillemi [Chillemi, Michael & Chillemi, Stacey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Health; Fitness & Dieting, Alternative Medicine, Herbal Remedies
Amazon: B00M28E6WQ
Published: 2014-07-22T04:00:00+00:00

Sandalwood

Botanical: Santalum album

Family: Santalaceae (sandalwood)

Other common names: East Indian Sandalwood, White Saunders, Yellow Sandalwood, Yellow Saunders, Chandana, Chandan, Chandal, Sandal, Santalwood

Did you know…?

Sandalwood has been used both internally and externally for thousands of years, and we still benefit from its antibacterial qualities to relieve urinary tract disorders, such as cystitis, urethritis and bladder infection. It also helps to relieve pain, sore throat, stomachache, spasms and chronic bronchitis.

Plant Description:

The Sandalwood tree is an evergreen that is cultivated in a semi-wild state, usually in open forest; and because it is semi-parasitic, it depends upon a host for its nutrients that help it grow. Over three hundred plants have been recorded as hosts, which can include nearby grasses, herbs, shrubs or other trees. The wood of the tree is straight-grained and heavy and varies in color, and the tree bears oval leaves and small flowers of varying colors that bloom twice a year.

Sandalwood (Chandanam) 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 southern India and Sri Lanka, Hawaii, and many south Pacific islands. It is most commonly used for incense, aromatherapy, perfume, and fine woodworking. Although not commonly used as a construction material, 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 princes in Ceylon since the 9th century. Jewelry boxes, fans, and ornate carvings continue to be made in many parts of Asia using sandalwood.

Sandalwood is the highly aromatic wood of the medium-sized Sandalwood tree (reaching about fifty feet in height), is native to eastern Asia (probably to the islands in southeastern Indonesia), and has been known in India and other areas of the subcontinent for thousands of years.

History:

Some claim that it is native to India, but it is actually thought to have been introduced there well over two thousand years ago. Sandalwood is now also distributed throughout Sri Lanka, Malaysia, China, Taiwan and northern Australia and generally thrives as a crop in drier climates in well-drained, moist, fertile soil in partial shade at a minimum of fifty-nine degrees Fahrenheit, so it is interesting to note that Sandalwood was cultivated in the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, London, in the nineteenth century.

Sandalwood's name comes to us from the Sanskrit word, Chandana, and it has a rich history in India as one of the luxury goods (including gold, gems, spices, silks, ivory and perfumes) that were sent along the coastal route to the Persian Gulf for trade.

However, aside from its commercial importance, Sandalwood was highly valued in Hindu rituals (including symbolic caste marks on the face and carved into figures and deities on temple doors, etc.) and devotional practices (including incense, etc.); and it was an important factor in Ayurvedic medicine that was (and still is) used to cool the body, decrease thirst and to treat headaches, scorpion stings and snake bites.

The trees

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