Sandalwood
“Santalum Album”, Indian: “Chandan”
Elements: Earth, Water and Spirit, Planetary association: Venus
Kabalistic: Netzach
Actions: Soothing, strengthening and antiseptic
Perfumery : Soft Woody Base note
This issue I am going to write about one of my favourite perfume and incense
ingredients: Sandalwood.
It’s deep, sweet woody scent is both earthy and spiritual at the same time,
and one of the most beautiful scents that I know of. It is such an
incredibly soothing scent, sexy without being aggressive, warm and inviting
without being overpowering. And wearing it always makes me feel happy and
safe...Sandalwood is one of India’s greatest gifts to the world, and it’s
one that is almost instantly recognizable. Along with patchouli, the scent
accompanied the spiritual side of the 60’s, as it is the base of most good
incense and a smell that permeates all the many new age shops full of
colourful Indian saris and scarfs. Sandalwood or “Chandan” as it is called
in India is said to be the earthly representation of a Sacred tree “Hari-chandan”
that grows only in the Heavenly Realms. It’s oil has been produced in India
since the 6th century BC and used in body oils, perfumes and to anoint
sacred statues. The wood is burnt in large chunks at Hindu weddings and as a
powder to anoint the forehead in a variety of different symbols that show
the particular sect a person belongs to and the hair parting of married
women and it blended with rose otto it is used in ceremonies to cleanse the
soul at the end of the year.
In Moslem traditions, dead bodies are anointed with sandalwood oil and it is
burnt in censors at their feet along with other ingredients to carry their
soul upwards to heaven. It didn’t appear in European apothecaries until the
15th century, but then Europe was a bit of an uncivilized backwater in those
days....
Christopher McMahon writes: “ In the ancient way, all parts of life were
interconnected. The physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual dimensions of
a persons being were viewed as one complete unit. People possessing inner
knowledge of the perfume sciences used attars to treat dis-ease in their
patients according to the level it was manifesting on.... It could, in
essence, work from the outer to the inner. Similarly the fragrance itself
could stimulate beneficial changes in the mind so that the process of inner
healing would be stimulated simultaneously. ...Attars were highly esteemed
because they were one of the only therapeutic agents which could act
simultaneously on every level of a persons existence”.
In Buddhism, the oil and incense are used in meditation as it is said help a
person focus and transform feelings like anger and hate into peacefulness.
In perfumery it’s one of the ultimate base notes as you can combine it with
so many different scents, and in aromatherapy it’s one of the perfect all
rounders, being appropriate for almost every setting. It is grounding and
uplifting at the same time, and very soothing as well.
In India there are two main types: East Indian Sandalwood which is soft and
sweet and grows around Mysore and Karnataka and West Indian Sandalwood which
has a slightly more rugged nature with sharper, woodier notes to it. Both of
these are becoming harder to get as the trees are being harvested into
extinction. And perfumers are looking around for alternatives.
Interestingly, if the trees are transplanted into different soils in
different regions, the scent of the oil changes and loses it’s special soft
notes.....
Another tree that is often sold as Sandalwood is the Anyris balsamifera.
This is a completely different tree and grows in the West Indies, Jamaica,
Haiti and Venezuela. It’s another lovely wood for incense and perfumery, but
it doesn’t have the same buttery soft undernote of East Indian Sandalwood.
Recently, an Australian Sandalwood, Sandalum spicatum came onto the market,
which is very exciting. Sandalum Spicatum is native to Australia and grows
in scrub areas and hence needs little irrigation and no fertilizers or
pesticides as such. Scent wise, it has an almost eucalyptus like note to it,
a sharper, lighter scent along with a similar soft woody note that is also
present in Indian sandalwood. There are also trial plantations of the Indian
Santalum Album growing in Western Australia which look very exciting! Now
all we need to do is start a few myrrh and frankincense plantations in the
dessert to go with the camels that are already thriving and we can become an
incense producing nation!
But for the moment, Sandalum Album available is only available from India.
It has become so rare that the Indian government has brought in strict laws
about it’s harvest and sale. The harvest is auctioned off twice a year and
only Indian nationals are allowed to bid. The stores of Sandalwood are
guarded heavily, but like any other rare and expensive natural product,
there is a thriving black market.
It’s quite a difficult tree to grow, as it is a parasite, and lives in
symbiosis with it’s hosts, It is grown from root suckers and seeds that have
passed through the digestive system of birds. Interestingly, methods such as
tissue culture and conventional seed propagation have been surprisingly
unsuccessful so far.....The oil is strongest in the heartwood which begins
to mature after 20 years and reaches it’s high point at 50 to 60 years of
age and in the roots. So there’s a long growing time there which also means
that one needs a long term regrowth programme to sustain the sandalwood
industry. Medicinally, sandalwood has been used in auyurvedic medicine to
cool heat in the body and hence to treat such things as boils and skin
eruptions, bronchitis and even gonorrhoea. It is antiseptic and soothing on
even the most sensitive skin. In aromatherapy it is used to soothe
confusion, to settle anxiety and to gently ground a person.
It is the perfect scent for meditation, helping to calm and focus the mind,
while opening the soul to the beauty around one. In Perfumery it is used as
a soft woody base note and combines with an amazing number of different oils
and essences. It is such a gentle scent that it harmonizes well with almost
all other oils, which makes it pretty unique in the perfumery world.
I particularly love it with patchouli as a base note....
As I said, it’s one of my very favourite scents. And I have been wearing it
as perfume for over 20 years.
You are welcome to quote from this article, as long as you reference it
properly and provide a link back to this page!
(This article appeared as part of my regular column in "Spellcraft"
Magazine. If you are interested in reading more, go to
http://www.spellcraft.com.au)
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