Sandalwood Australia EO
Origin: Australia

• Details and product description

  Introduction:

  This sandalwood, native to Australia, is a small tree that often lives at the expense of other green plants (called host plants). They attach suckers to the roots of the host in order to draw some of their nutrients. They are not true parasites but rather hemiparasites, because they are capable of developing independently of any host plant and are able to conduct photosynthesis. Santalum spicatum is one of the four species of san­dalwood found in Australia. It can grow up to 6 meters high and develop in a particularly dry and hostile environ­ment. These trees can live up to 100 years and it can take 50 to 70 years for them to reach full maturity. Its evergreen leaves are oval, grey-green, and its many small flowers are straw-yellow turning to red. The tree produces spherical, orange berries after three years. An edible kernel, like an almond, surrounded by a hard shell forms the centre of the fruit. Currently 1.3 to 3 tons of Australian sandalwood are exported annually mainly for use in the incense market.

  History:

  Sandalwood’s history dates back 4,000 years to Sanskrit and Chinese manuscripts. The essential oil was used in religious rituals and many divinities and temples were carved from its wood. The soft wood is good for carving and is frequently used to make fragrant sacred sculptures. The ancient Egyptians imported sandalwood and used it in medicine, embalming and burnt it to venerate the gods. For Buddhists, it is considered one of the three fundamental types of incense used for religious practices, along with aloeswood and cloves. Sandalwood is used to treat depression, anxiety and insomnia. It facilitates spiritual practices, serene relaxation, the opening of the mind and attaining higher knowledge. It is used in many mortuary ceremonies to aid passage into the next life and to comfort the loved ones of the dead. It is also used in many forms of initiations to open the spirit of disciples to consecration ceremonies. In Zorastrian temple, it was burned in sacred fires to appease the suffering of all mankind. It is used by Jews, Buddhists, Hindus, as well as by many other sects for its wide range of attributes. Australian sandalwood has been regularly exploited and sold since 1844. The essential oil was already in the British Pharmacopoeia of 1810. Peak production occurred in the 1940s when more than 54 tons of essential oil was produced each year, mainly for medicine. Production stopped in 1971 and then restarted in 1999.

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