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About Sandalwood
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Sandalwood is the embodiment of quite a few numbers of fragrant woods producing essential oils that carry the essence and aroma compounds of a plant. The pleasant fragrance and the ethereal essential oils coming from sandalwoods are the reasons why they are costly. Hence, their production is strictly controlled by some countries.
The Sandalwood Production and Uses
Fragrance
Sandalwood is in fact regarded and appreciated very much many centuries ago because of its fragrance. Sandalwood when used in perfumery produces prominent note unlike other woods that have scents. However, sandalwood when used in lesser proportions can be a great fixative (stabilizing or preservative agent) that can boost other fragrances. In cosmetology, makeup and other cosmetics that have sandalwood are very pricey but despite of this fact, sandalwood is still gets demands.
Medicine
Sandalwood is also utilized in woodworking and its healing characteristic has been significant as well since it can be used as an essential oil, as urogenital, and skin antiseptic among others. Also, sandalwood contains antimicrobial property which can function in clearing blackheads and spots when diluted in other carrier oil—that weakens the potency of sandalwood oil.
Religious Values of Sandalwood
Buddhism
You might be familiar with the proverbial ancient Buddhist scripture that states: “None but the Mali Mountains contain Sandalwood…” by Moho Chi Kuan. This clearly shows the religious significance of sandalwood which is widely used as an incense material by Buddhists. Attaining sandalwoods with the highest quality is considered divine. Buddhists even use sandalwood as a material in their religious ornaments because they believe sandalwood gives strength and it purifies their mind. In Buddhism, an ornament called mala, which is made of 108 beads, is used in reciting, chanting, or mentally repeating a mantra for a specific deity is typically made of sandalwood as well. This is because sandalwood when used as a material in mala will help the individual possessing the mala prevail upon the hindrances that he may encounter as he sojourns the path of enlightenment.
Hinduism
In Hinduism, sandalwood has also roles in religious events like rituals and ceremonies. In Hinduism, idols are being embalmed and preserved using paste made of sandalwood. Furthermore, Hindi’s practices seen in ayurvedic principles (Hindi health care system) used sandalwood in healing anxiety. Moreover, in Ceylon during the 9th century, corpses of princes were embalmed using sandalwood oils and as incense.
Sandalwood: Material in Manufacturing Chinese Fans
For another interesting part, apart from the religious and medicinal values of sandalwood, this multipurpose wood plays another major role in Chinese fan making. Fans in Asian countries like China are considered a prominent work of art. Sandalwood is just the perfect material in fan production since it can be utilized in creating intricate designs of the fan. At the same time, fans made of with sandalwood exude a pleasing scent—that can be so penetrating— when the fan is being waved.
Therefore, with a short overview of what sandalwood can do, there is no harm in presuming that this sandalwood is indeed a heaven-sent.
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