Sandalwood Benefits
INDIAN SANDALWOOD IS BEYOND COMPARE.
Indian sandalwood, declared a ‘Royal Tree’ in 1792, is considered the jewel in the crown of the world’s 15 varieties of sandalwood species; craved by kings, ancient cultures and spiritualities for thousands of years.
Today, the benefits of sandalwood for contemporary wellbeing enters a new paradigm in modern science.
Calms the mind and body
Indian sandalwood oil is luxuriously relaxing.
The warm and woody scent helps to relieve anxiety and tension from the mind and body, promoting mental clarity and sleep.
Aromatherapy, Ayurvedic massage, fomentation therapy, and meditation are all notable practices in which sandalwood acts as the key agent for inducing a sense of calm and focus.
It’s the natural abundance of sesquiterpenes, a-Santalol and ß-Santalol, found in Indian sandalwood that are largely responsible for these distinctive calming effects.
When we inhale the scent of sandalwood, the sesquiterpenes enter the bloodstream and make their way to the receptors in the brain that regulate how alert, awake, and attentive we are. When inhaled, sandalwood also has the ability to lengthen the duration of the three non-REM sleep stages that help to restore the body.
Enhances Natural Beauty
Dating back thousands of years to Ayurvedic skin care, Indian sandalwood has long been recorded and used as a natural beauty ingredient.
It’s no small wonder that sandalwood’s reputation and demand in beauty and cosmetics has endured to this day. Thanks to its high α-Santalol content, Indian sandalwood has a plethora of natural and safe beauty benefits when used in skincare products.
Anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
With anti-oxidant activity proven to out-perform Vitamin E, Indian sandalwood is a skin-saviour, protecting from environmental stressors and preventing the signs of aging.
Thanks to its high content of sesquiterpene ‘α-Santalol’, Indian sandalwood inhibits the activity of free radicals that can cause damage to the skin cells, helping to slow down and minimise the development of wrinkles, sagging and dullness.
The natural anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of sandalwood oil and powder help to soothe, calm, cool and soften the skin, making it an appropriate active for combating and preventing redness, sun-damage, dryness, eczema and psoriasis.
Anti-tyrosinase
Tyrosinase are a group of enzymes responsible for the regulation and production of melanin and can sometimes cause spots and discolouration in the skin.
The concentration of α-Santalol found in sandalwood oil and powder acts as a natural inhibitor of Tyrosinase and has been found to be an effective agent in regulating melanogenesis. It can be used to minimise and even out almost all forms of melanin overproduction from pigmentation, dark spots, and discolouration in the skin, to achieve a naturally smooth skin tone.
Anti-microbial, Anti-bacterial, anti-septic
Terpenoids, naturally occurring compounds found in Indian sandalwood, are responsible for protecting the tree against environmental stressors, threats, and diseases. These protective properties carry over into derivative products of the Indian sandalwood tree.
It’s no surprise then that sandalwood oil has been proven to be a safe anti-microbial agent that can help to protect the skin from bacteria, fungus, yeast, and parasites.
Indian sandalwood can be used for treating dermatological ailments such as acne, enlarged pores, blackheads and break-out prone skin.
Anti-proliferative
Skin that looks washed out and rough is usually caused by the proliferation of old and UV damaged skill cells.
Scientific testing has proven that sandalwood oil is able to stimulate cell-cycle arrest, essentially meaning that it intercepts the division of old and damaged skin cells and can even kill them off. This allows for the regeneration of new, healthy, skin cells, resulting in younger and brighter looking skin.
LONG-LINGERING SCENT
The unique warm, smooth, and spicy scent of sandalwood was first used in ancient Arabic and Indian perfumery practices over four thousand years ago.
So, what makes it so highly sought after? The high percentage of α and β-Santalol found in Indian sandalwood oil act as a virtually unparalleled fixative. The compounds help to stabilise the parts of a perfume that would otherwise quickly evaporate and fade away.
Sandalwood’s ability to harmonise with a wide variety of other essential oils and to infuse the delicate notes of other ingredients has made it a prized base note, particularly in amber blends.
ASSISTS WORSHIP
While used by many religions around the world, the oil, wood, and paste of Indian sandalwood holds a particularly impressive historical and ritualistic significance within the Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic faiths.
The sandalwood heartwood is also a highly valued material for religious statues, religious tools, ornaments, and mythological figures.
Hinduism
Sandalwood, or ‘candana’ in Sanskirt, holds great sacred importance in Hinduism. Used predominantly in incense and paste form, sandalwood plays an important role throughout Hindu ceremonies, rituals, and celebrations.
The sandalwood tree is said to be the home of the principal Hindu goddess, Goddess Lakshmi and is the recommended wood to be used when worshipping the ‘Great God’, Shiva.
In a paste, sandalwood is used to symbolise the earth in liturgies and sacred rites. It is also used to anoint the forehead to identify devotees of Shiva and Vishnu, as well as for anointing statues.
Incense made from sandalwood is used as an offering to Hindu Gods and Goddesses, as well as in healing and meditation practices, valued for its ability to focus the mind and the belief that it links the base and crown chakra.
Buddhism
Sandalwood has a strong connection not just to Buddhism, but to Buddha himself.
Referenced in the Lalitavistara, also known as Buddha’s biography, while still unborn he was said to have inhabited a beautiful and opulent room made from sandalwood. Notably, the first recording of Buddha’s likeness in image was a carving commissioned by King Pasenadi, made from sandalwood.
To this day, sandalwood incense is used in Buddhist temples during prayer, and during mediation to instil a sense of awareness, focus, and calm.
Promotes Wellness
Sandalwood’s ability to safely remedy afflictions of the skin, mind, and spirit dates back across millennia. Modern science is now validating what the ancients knew long before us, as they investigate the medicinal properties of sandalwood on a scientific basis.
Recent studies have unearthed its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties, and even its chemo preventative ability, particularly in the treatment of skin cancer.
Traditional health systems such as Ayurveda, Tibetan and Traditional Chinese Medicine systems use Indian sandalwood to treat various health conditions of both physical and mental nature. Such as:
- Common colds
- Bronchitis
- Fever
- Dysentery
- Piles
- Scabies and infection of the urinary tract
- Inflammation of the mouth and pharynx
- Liver and gall-bladder complaints
In Traditional Chinese medicine, it is also used to act as a stimulant, a carminative, a digestive aid, and a muscle relaxant.
Traditional Chinese Medicine also uses Indian sandalwood for healing of a spiritual nature. It has been cited as a remedy for regulating Qi flow, as well as a remedy for pacifying and realigning the balance of the spirit.
Awakens Sexual Desires
Indian sandalwood has been celebrated throughout history for its reputation as a natural aphrodisiac. Two thousand years ago, Indian poet, Kalidasa testified to this sensual trait.
His poem describes a scene where two entwined lovers grow wild with passion, intoxicated by the scent of sandalwood.
It has been ventured that its distinctive combination of spicy, sweet, warm and velvety tones smell similar to androsterone, a sex hormone.