Farmed Agarwood may seem the right thing to do these days, especially with the marketed commotion on the shortage of Agarwood trees coming from the wild which is struggling to meet worldwide demand. But is the practice of inducing artificial chemicals and other foreign objects into the tree to promote resin growth considered an ethical practice from the tree’s perspective? This is the question commonly raised when we have discussions with green fingers about farmed agarwood.
Ever since the Aquilaria species of flora and its family were annexed to the CITES convention, there has been a flurry of agarwood plantations being opened and marketed by people of all over, including people who barely know what is Oud.
The catchline for their marketing is contagious – that Oud is the next hot investment property,, pound for pound more expensive than Gold.
While it is indeed an expensive commodity, Oud, just like diamond, has varying degrees of worthiness, and experts know that farmed agarwood does not fair too high up in that worthiness list, albeit with some exceptions.
The method that farmers employ to induce the farmed agarwood tree are varying. From drilling chemical liquid inducer injections to bamboo sticks, they are intended to penetrate deeply into the heart of the tree in order to cause hurt and stress to it. Ironically today, some Oud sellers are ardently boasting of their chemical and synthetic free organic Ouds but their source of agarwood are these very same farms who use chemicals to produce the resinous heartwood.
While cultivated versions of other plants, like oranges and apples, for example, do not require the endurance of painstaking impaling methods to bear fruit, the unique agarwood prized ‘fruit’ – the resinous Oud – is the result of it being subjected to a stressful condition and environment. In the wild, the natural resin formation causes of bacterial and fungal infection, soil erosion and hilly growth areas are a stark contrast to what these modern farmers are doing.
The picture on your right of an agarwood tree of probably around 25 years old could probably cause an agonising effect on the avid and hardcore evergreen advocates. Trees are indeed a living thing and a green thumb would probably testify to the fact that these trees would undoubtedly experience hurt in the inoculation process of modern day agarwood farming.
Devoid of love and being pierced and stabbed on a regular basis, it is no wonder then that cultivated agarwood chips are still miles apart from those of the wild in terms of quality. More to come on this.
Distilling agarwood and processing the resinated heartwood involves cycles of laborious work. After the felling of the tree, it begins with the tremendous task of chopping the tree trunk and segregating it to serve the different purposes. The white wood and barely resinated sectors of the tree trunk and branches usually go into the distillation stills while the resinous part of the Oud wood is processed and cleaned further as these valuables are meant for fumigation use. The leaves are collected and filtered for agarwood tea production while the leftover pile of agarwood waste material in the stills, after the completion of its distillation, is collected to make agarwood cones and incense sticks.
Depending on the size of the tree, it can take up to a week or more for the whole trunk and branches to be segregated according to its different intentions. For woods meant to be distilled into pure Oud oils,, it will take further laborious work to shred the wood into smaller pieces, before it can be thrown into the wood grinder to make into the size of wood shavings and sawdust. Only then will the agarwood material be fit for distillation.
In this particular small sized distillery on the outskirts of an ancient jungle, north east of Borneo, the woodhunters had just felled a wild tree which grew in an area that had just been privatised. This 2560kg agarwood tree was already labelled to be felled due to its amazing resin content a couple of years prior, after the discovery of its resinous core through the scraping of the tree’s bark.
Every single bit and part of this amazing agarwood tree was already sold even before it was felled. Towards the end of the night of the first distillation, there had been signs of a great yield – averaging 0.94ml for every kilo in the stills.
Papua New Guinea has been refered to as the “Last Frontier” for agarwood (also called eaglewood, oud or gaharu) in natural forests. In PNG, species of Aquilaria and Gyrinops produce agarwood and trees may be found in relatively large numbers at some remote forest locations. The genus, Gyrinops, is closely related to Aquilaria and in the past all species were considered to belong to Aquilaria. Morphological differences suggest to some researchers, however, that Gyrinops is a more appropriate genus to classify the trees growing in PNG. Agarwood was first discovered and harvested here in the late 1990’s.. Although the harvesting of trees for agarwood began only a few years ago, there are serious concerns that indiscriminate cutting will rapidly deplete the natural Aquilaria and Gyrinops resources as it has in Vietnam and other countries. To prevent this from happening a program for the sustainable production of agarwood has been initiated.
Our work in PNG, in cooperation with the Rainforest Project Foundation and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, includes research and training programs for rural villagers to produce cultivated agarwood. The sustainable management of Papua New Guinea’s agarwood will help protect and preserve old growth trees while supplying cultivated agarwood from managed forest sites. Our training programs and workshops are bringing new technology to the people of PNG. Pilot field demonstration sites are being established in four provinces (Central Province, East Sepik Province, Enga Province and the Gulf Province). These research and training efforts are an enormous endeavor and we actively seek new funding sources to carry out this important work. If you or your employer are interested in supporting our efforts, tax deductible donations can be made to a special fund at the University of Minnesota.
Agarwood is the resinous heartwood from Aquilaria trees.. These trees belong to the Aquilaria genus, Thymelaeaceae family. These trees are large evergreens native to South and Southeast Asia. The trees can be easily located from an altitude of few meters above sea level to 1,000 meters above sea level. The beast growth in these trees is seen at average levels of around 400-600 meters. At least fifteen species of Aquilaria trees are known to produce the much sought-after Agarwood. The most common species found in India is Aquilaria achalloga.
Formation of aromatic resin in the tree
The trees occasionally become infected with a parasite/fungus mould and the resin is produced as a natural immune response to a fungal attack. As the fungus grows, the tree produces very rich, dark resin within the infected area. This resinous wood is valued very high and treasured around the world since the odour of this wood (agarwood) is pleasing and unique with no resemblance to other natural floral perfumes.
The resin is commonly called Jinko, Aloeswood, Agarwood or Oud and is valued in any cultures for its distinctive fragrance.
For the people who did not have the chance to experience the fragrance of this unique resinous wood of God we offer our Agarwood products click here.
In Europe it is referred to as Lignum Aquila (eaglewood) or Agarwood.
Another name is Lignum aloes or Aloeswood. This is debatable, since a genus Aloe exists which is not related to this species and generally used for medicinal purposes. However, the Aloes of the Old Testament (Num. 24:6; Ps. 45:8; Pro. 7:17; and Cant. 4:14) and of the Hebrew Bible (ahalim in Hebrew) are believed to be agarwood from Aquilaria malaccensis
Mythological History
Agarwood and its essential oil have long been associated with various religions and cultures. While it finds a mention in ancient scriptures of Japanese and Chinese dynasties it also finds mention in bible where it is referred as Aloe in old testament however this matter is debatable. It is certainly considered an aid for meditation in spiritual circles, thus it is used for incense and perfumes. Deservingly, it is also called wood of God in Asia
Discover the mental, physical, and spiritual benefits for yourself today!
In the luxurious world of scent, what could be more desirable than the elusive and seductive smell of oud? By Rhona Wells
Oud comes from the wood of the tropical Agar (Aquilaria) tree, believed to have originated in the Assam region of India, and from there spread throughout Southeast Asia. When the wood of the Agar tree gets infected with a certain mould variety (Phialophora parasitica), it reacts by producing a dark and fragrant resin, which is the perfume ingredient oud (also called agarwood).
High quality oud is a true dark gold, its fragrance ethereal and complex, blending nuances of ambergris, sweet incense, tobacco and wood. The lower grades, on the other hand, have a sharp, dark, less nuanced and pleasant scent.. Its rich fragrance is used for scenting mosques, favoured rooms in the home, and frequently clothes in the Middle East. It is rumoured that its fragrance that can ward off the evil eye as well as attract lovers.
Oud is also used in incense bokhurs (incense blends) and the bark chips retail at prices varying form 17000AED ($4700) a kilo to 23000 AED/kilo ($6200) de- pending on the quality of the bark chip, used for burning, according to an authority based in Sharjah in the UAE
Oud has a long history of use in the Eastern and Middle Eastern parts of the world; Buddhist monks used it for meditation, saying it aids in the transmuta- tion of ignorance. Tibetan monks believe it calms the mind and spirit; Sufis use it for esoteric ceremonies; in China it is considered to have psychoactive properties and in in Ancient Egypt, it was used by the Pharaohs for embalming. Certainly Oud has been used as incense, an aromatic oil and medicine for thousands of years. The Prophet Mohammed mentions it in the Koran 1400 years ago; “Treat with Indian Oud, for it has healing for seven diseases”.
Due to its rarity, high demand, and the difficulty of harvesting it, oud oil is perhaps the most expensive oil in the world. Its value is estimated as 1.5 times of the value of gold, which is the reason it is sometimes referred to as
‘liquid gold’. Because of the immense popularity of this plant-matter for oil, perfume and incense, the trees are now endangered species, protected world-wide under the CITES convention and by a variety of laws in different countries. Oud (in Arabic ‘oudh’) is also highly valued by perfumers for its sweet, woody, aromatic and complex scent. It is used in forms of oud oil (dehn al oud) or resin (oud mubakhar).
Use of scent in the Middle East is prolific. Consumers in the region spend five times as much on perfume as their European counterparts and in the higher class malls and expensive shops the scent of Arabian oud is all-pervading.
The fragrance market in the Mena region alone is currently worth $4bn and predicted to carry on growing at 15% a year over the next four years.
An average Arab male consumer, uses three bottles of the scent at the same time, one in the car, one in the office and one in the home, according to Abdulla Ajmal, Deputy General Manager of Ajmal Perfumes, one of the of leading fragrance houses in the region, selling locally over 17m bottles of scent a year.
As for women, they can be layering up to seven fragrances at the same time, thus creating their own unique signature sillage. According to Shahzad Halder, chairman of the Fragrance Foundation Arabia, the fact that “oud is a scent deeply rooted in tradition adds to its global appeal. As people travel the world, they experience new scents they then want to find when they return home”. This he feels has led to the success of the oud note, fast on the way to becoming a real new fragrance trend of the 21st century.
In the Middle East, local oud-dealers have ruled the market but increasingly, international fragrance houses are looking to tap into the region’s wealth of fragrance users by introducing their own Arabian scent, thus hoping not only to capture the regional market, but also to offer new exciting scents to the world. Philippe Tarasoff, Regional Director of the luxury division L’Oreal Middle East decided to embrace oud’s mystique early on, launc ing Armani Prive Royal Oud in 2008. In 2011, Van Cleef & Arpels launched Precious Oud, as part of their Collection Extraordinaire, underlining the luxury concept, more in name than in scent terms.
The trend has really been taking off with many new fragrances joining the fray; in April 2012, Maison Francis Kurkdjian launched their “Oud”, a scent that truly show- cases the deep woody notes of the oil. Le Labo launched Oud 27 (with 27 ingredients) in upmarket outlets such as Liberty’s of London to satisfy the consumer demand for this note. Not to be left out, in August 2012, Christian Dior launched Oud Ispahan, Created by perfumer Francois Demachy, the fragrance aims to provide the user with “an immediate impression, an instant snapshot of Middle Eastern mystique.” Italian niche house, Acqua di Parma, has launched Colonia Intensa Oud available through exclusive boutiques and outside Italy in Har- rods (London). Joining in, in November 2012, Givenchy introduced Eaudemoiselle de Givenchy Bois de Oud.
Oud also plays a starring role in several American perfumes for women, including Pure Oud Eau by Killian, Oud Intense by Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Midnight Oud Eau de Parfum by Juliette Has a Gun, and Bond No. 9 New York Oud.
From the Middle East, Ajmal have expanded as far as Malaysia, underlining the globalness of this phenomena. In European capitals, such as London, Oud Arabian, Swiss Arabian and Rassasi, who all offer an Oud collection as well as single note fragrances, are all enjoy- ing great popularity, and not just with Arabs. Oman’ s Amouage fragrance house is also present with exclusive distribution and retail outlets popping up around the world. Their latest launch, Amouage Epic for women is an ode to oud.
Capturing both the imagination and the heart, oud once smelled can never be forgotten. Popular fragrances come and go but from its confirmed use in the 13th century to present day local and international perfumes, oud remains in pride of place in the 21st century fragrance market.
Artificial inoculation technique already been developed and is found to be most effective and reliable method for enhancement of agar production. Works on commercialization are in progress and expected to make available for general use in the field.
Mechanically wounded with nails.
Tree drilling and chemical injection.
This effort involves drilling of trees and keeping the wound open by placing a small piece of plastic pipe in those holes followed by a chemical injection to stimulate tree defense mechanism that produces resin.. The first project of this effort was initiated in Vietnam under a supervision from Prof. Robert Blanchette, a wood pathologist from the University of Minnesota who together with local farmers and Buddhist monks. They developed experimental plots to stimulate the production of agarwood and after years of trials, this treatment yielded agarwood. Dr. Blanchette stated that this artificial induction could yield agarwood ten times faster than natural formation (WWW page: http://forestpathology.coafes.umn.edu). This finding has gained appreciation and has been considered as one of the most successful finding (Persoon, 2007). This treatment causes tree to respond in two defense mechanisms, physical and chemical. The first is phloem cells form callus and the second, should callus formation is prevented, the tree produces resin.
Insert with inoculant-soaked bamboo stick to stress tree, Thailand
Tree drilling and inoculation of fungal inoculum
The formation of agarwood is a result of plant defense mechanism towards fungal attacks by producing resinous compounds as secondary metabolite. In their natural habitat, the process of resin accumulation as the result of tree-pathogen battle may take many years and the longer the process takes place the more expensive and highly valuable the resin is. Many scientists have been passionately trying to understand the cascade process of this tree-fungi interaction in producing gaharu. Isolation of various fungi from infected trees have been widely reported.
ICU method — Single unit, 300ml inoculant per tree.
ICU method — Multiple units, by Gaharu Biotech,Pahang.
Actually there is no special way to burn aloes wood (agarwood) you only needs charcoal that have been burnt until it is red, then place the Agarwood over the charcoal which would you burn.
But there is also a unique way, some people do something else in burning aloes wood (agarwood), there is little difference, that is, before the aloes wood (agarwood) is placed above the charcoal,, they put aloes wood (agarwood) into their mouths, suck the small chips of aloeswood that they will burn, not a big piece of aloes wood (agarwood), the point is, they dampen the aloes wood with saliva, so that if you burn it over charcoal, then the wood will burned slightly – by little, burn longer than wood that has not dampened.
If you put aloe dried over charcoal, charcoal will directly burn the wood immediately, if the wood was wet, it will not directly burned, the wood will burn longer.
I do not teach you dirty, you can use the water, without need to use saliva, you just dip in water, then sprinkle and place it over charcoal.
Tips of burning Agarwood
When burning Oud wood chips, it is always better to burn it ‘clean’ on a mica plate that can commonly be found for burning incense. This will ensure that you get a ‘cleaner’ scent out of your burned Oud wood, as burning on coal requires that you not prepare the coal too hot, lest you will have some ‘coal scent notes’ together with your Oud wood scent during fumigation.
The best way to optimally heat up the coal is not through the stove but rather by a blowtorch lighter you can get for lighting up cigars. Just aim to torch the far sides of the 4 sided squarish coal instead of the middle part of it, and immediately place your Oud chip on the middle spot once you have done lighting. The heat from the sides will slowly move up to the middle of the coal and will give the slow burning effect on your Oud. The scent will be longer lasting and better smelling (without the coal notes) this way. The traditional way of burning is with a burner and coal and that is how we like to do it.
Agarwood inoculation provides opportunity for business for many. One US company was trying to sell kits to Lao famers for $100 US per kit, per tree. Clearly this is unreasonable and shows little understanding for the situation in Laos, where the annual per capita GDP at $3000 USD. The inoculation is a secret blend of chemicals, or sugars, or simple bacteria and fungi, which is then driven into the tree trunk. Those with plantations will buy or make inoculation kits to increase the value of their trees, of course. But whether the cost of the land, the seedlings (also a profitable side business,) the inoculation kits and the time involved, the years to grow and infect the trees, will pay, is another question.
You would be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Browsing the internet, it’s easy to find agarwood “consultants” to help you in all areas of your plantation. Promised return on the investment is 7 years. This promise is common. The trees will grow, most probably. But even though they can be inoculated at just a couple of years of age, and even though they can technically be harvested at 3-7 years, the possibility of harvesting good agarwood to make Oud is slim. To make quality Oud, the trees should have a naturally occurring infection, not an inoculation. And most probably the trees will need to be much older, maybe 15-20 years. But the biggest obstacle is that how many of us are willing to wait.
There are only three distillation methods for oud oil: steam, hydro and CO2 extraction. The latter is seldom used save in large-scale productions. The results are far from impressive, with a pasty, sticky, solid at room temperature wax as the end product. The scent is impaired by the extraction of non-resin particles along with the agarwood essence.
Steam distillation is widely used in Indonesia..Unsure about the benefits of using steam, considering that normally the oil is subjected to temperatures above 300 degrees fahrenheit. Some of our distillers harbor an intense dislike for steam distillation when it comes to oud. Yet some oud , were steam distilled.
Then we have classic hydro distillation. Simple chemistry: you boil the wood and the resin rises to the top; from there you funnel it into a glass vessel where it gathers over the course of several days, floating atop the water. This is the oldest, most widely used method in Southeast Asia and Assam. The oud oils posted in this blog were extracted via this method.
Distillation can get real high tech, with different material tubes for different steps of the process. You can have, for example, a stainless steel boiler with copper tubes that the oil travels through; or a fully stainless unit; or a fully copper one; or a copper still with stainless tubes; or different material tubes for different parts of the process. The possibilities are endless.
With steam distillation, you get agarwood oil that was heated up to a certain temperature and then separated from the condensed steam, with the resultant oil potentially impaired by the high temperature. In hydro distillation, the raw materials are in close contact with water for a period of several days or even months. The water has an almost magical effect on the oil, changing its character dramatically depending on how long it stays immersed, the type of water it is boiled in (spring, rain, ground water), the chemical breakdown of the water itself, salt and mineral content, etc.
Whether you get a fecal, a fruity or a woody, a dark or a light, a leathery or a green smelling oud oil depends a great deal on the water you use to cook the raw materials!
Vietnam Agarwood 