Bakhoor – the scented smoke

A renowned Arab Caliph once said: “If I were a merchant, I would only trade in Oud perfume, so that if I did not make a profit, I would have profited from its sensational scent.”

Oud (agarwood or agar) comes from trees found in India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Yemen, Thailand and Ethiopia. It is a certain fungal infection that comes from Aquilaria trees, which is peeled off the tree. The chips are initially pale and light in color; the heartwood turns dense and dark as a result of the growth of a dangerous mold.

Oud has a very strong and unique scent that is available in chips, which are lit and burned. The scented smoke is called Bakhoor. Oud is also available in an oil form, which is placed in small perfume bottles. People apply the oil on certain areas such as behind the ears and on the wrists for a long-lasting scented effect.

Oud oil is produced by mashing agarwood and placing it in distilling pots and covering them with several inches of water. The lid is then closed and the pot is heated until the water boils. The boiling water ruptures the cells of the wood and the vapor of agarwood oil and steam rises to the top of the pot and escapes, released through a tube leading to a condenser. The condenser cools the vapor and is itself repeatedly cooled by water.

After soaking, the barrels of agarwood mash are emptied into distilling pots and placed over wood fires for distillation. The heating process may look primitive, but the fires are tended by skilled workers who control the temperature quite carefully.

As the vapor passes through the condenser and is cooled, it reverts to a liquid form and is collected in a vessel where the oil and water separate. The water is drawn off leaving the agarwood oil.

Several distillations will generally occur, with the first producing the highest grade of agarwood oil and the last, the lowest. These distillations may continue over a week’s time. After distillation, the remaining mash from the distilling pot is left in the sun to dry. It will then be ground up and used to make joss sticks (incense). Before being bottled, the agarwood oil is filtered to remove dirt and impurities.

Bakhoor, the scented smoke, is made from placing the Oud chip on a bed of natural coal or lighted charcoal, which allows the wood to burn and puff the fragrance of the authentic Oud. Once the chip is burned out, it should be thrown away.

Traditionally in Saudi Arabia, when Oud is lit, the Oud burner is passed around from one person to another as part of Saudi hospitality. An old odd fact about Bakhoor is that when a host is tired of his visitors and wants them to leave, he/she would burn a chip of Oud and walk around the room. Guests would then know that this is a polite signal for them to leave.

Oud in its oil form (dehan) is a considerable investment. It is sold and measured in 12-milliliter bottles called tola. Prices for one tola range anywhere from SR300 to SR8,000. Anything below this price might be a copy or a Chinese imitation.

According to Um Mohammed, a Saudi woman who mixes Oud and has been selling it for a living for over 30 years, says there are other kinds of Oud aside from oil and Bakhoor. There is a special mix called Mabthouth..

“Mabthouth is an Oud paste that is made by crushing Oud wood and adding different scents from Oud dehan and flower oils. Then, the paste is shaped into balls,” she explained. “This paste gives a different smell than what a normal Oud chip would give. As soon as you put the Mabthouth on the flaming coal, you will smell different kinds of Arabian scents all together.”

There are different kinds of Mabthouth that are produced every year. Um Mohammed said that she takes each mixture under study before displaying and offering them to clients. Price range for Mabthouth goes from SR100 to SR500 per box.

Um Mohammed takes small poor quality pieces of Oud (wood chips), crushes them into tiny morsels and mixes them with different oils. When burned, this mixture gives off a better scent than the poor quality pieces when burned alone. This is only done to improve the quality of Oud.

Only natural materials are used to manufacture Arabian Oud mixtures. Um Mohammed uses musk, patchouli, oak, jasmine flower, rose flower, saffron, cedar, amber, bergamot, sandalwood and, of course, agarwood..

Saudi women use a certain method of Bakhoor burning: They walk around the house holding the burner to scatter the smoke in every room. They also wave their abayas and clothing above the smoke so that it picks up the scent and stays there for long. Other Saudi women use Oud and Bakhoor as body perfume by applying dehan on their hair. They put some of the dehan on the tip of their fingers and run it through their wet hair, or they just wave their hair on the smoke coming out of the Bakhoor burner.

Imam Bukhari reported that Oud is known to be an excellent scent for strengthening the body and the mind. According to him, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Treat with Indian incense (Oud Al-Hindi) for it has healing for seven diseases; it is to be sniffed by one having throat problems and put in the mouth for one suffering from pleurisy.”

Oud is also used to traditionally treat asthma, chest congestion, colic, nausea, kidney problems, thyroid cancer, lung tumors, and post childbirth. It is also a general tonic in China, India and Japan.

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Agarwood

Agarwood or oodh (or just agar) is a dark resinous heartwood that forms in Aquilaria trees (large evergreens native to southeast Asia) when they become infected with a type of mold.

Prior to infection, the heartwood is relatively light and pale coloured, however as the infection progresses, the tree produces a dark aromatic resin in response to the attack, which results in a very dense, dark, resin embedded heartwood. The resin embedded wood is commonly called gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, agarwood, or oud (not to be confused with ‘Bakhoor’) and is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes.

Agarwood is known under many names in different cultures:

In Hindi (India), it is known as “agar”, which is originally Sanskrit ‘aguru’ (in Bengali, it is spelled ‘aguru’)..

It is known as Chén-xīang (沉香) in Chinese, “trầm hương” in Vietnamese, and Jin-koh (沈香) in Japanese; all meaning “sinking incense” and alluding to its high density..

Both agarwood and its resin distillate/extracts are known as Oud (عود) in Arabic (literally wood) and used to describe agarwood in nations and areas in Arabic countries. Western perfumers may also use agarwood essential oil under the name “oud” or “oude”.

In Europe it was referred to as Lignum aquila (eagle-wood) or Agilawood, because of the similarity in sound of agila to gaharu.

Another name is Lignum aloes or Aloeswood. This is potentially confusing, since a genus Aloe exists (unrelated), which has medicinal uses.

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Agarwood Investments

The resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria tree, agarwood is regarded as the most expensive wood and oil in the world. A multi-billion dollar market demand and dwindling supplies make agarwood an excellent investment opportunity.

Indigenous to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia, the Aquilaria tree grows fast, achieving maturity in around 7 years. But it isn’t the tree itself that is valuable, but rather the aromatic resinous heartwood that forms inside the tree as a natural defence against infection. This naturally occurring process is extremely rare, with less than 5% of trees producing the precious substance.

The resin, which is dark brown or black in colour is so highly prized and sought after that almost all of the natural trees have now been cut down, to the extent that it is now listed as a protected species by CITES. This means that only plantation grown trees may be licenced to be exported, limiting the global supply even further.

Such is its value, Agarwood oil and wood chips can fetch prices ranging from US$5,000 up to a staggering US$30,000 depending on grade.

Uses

The key uses of agarwood are:

Traditional Chinese, Indian, Taiwanese & Tibetan medicines.

Religion where it is used in Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and Christian ceremonies. (Also used in marriage and burial ceremonies.)

Perfume, Aromatherapy & essential oils

Market Demand

Demand for high quality agarwood has increased dramatically but as stocks from the traditional agarwood sources are rapidly dwindling the various markets are having to seek other ways of securing supplies of the precious ’black gold’. A 2010 article in the Gulf news reported that “imports of agarwood or oudh increased by nearly 300% in four years (2004-2007)”.. Source GulfNews.com Oct 23, 2010.

There are around 80 countries that import agarwood annually but the biggest importers of the commodity are the UAE, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Taiwan. The largest exporters are Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. The value of agarwood exported from Singapore alone has been estimated to exceed $1.2 billion per annum (United Nations FAO)..

By the early 1990s, the aquilaria tree had been harvested to near extinction in Southeast Asia and was classified as an endangered species leading it to be placed on the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) list. The listing makes it illegal to harvest or trade the commodity without a CITIES permit. Private sector investment in commercial and sustainable plantations has led the drive to protect the trees in the natural forest by providing a viable substitute. Yet at present, only 35% of global demand is being met by the agarwood producing countries (Forest Research Institute of Malaysia).

Growth in the population and affluence of consumer markets in Japan, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has seen demand for agarwood soar particularly over the last few years. This demand has resulted in stocks in the wild virtually disappearing, pushing up prices and leading to real concerns over future supplies.

Virgen Plantations and its partners were among the first organisations to identify a viable sustainable alternative and have tailored an exciting investment solution for clients. We obtain existing mature Aquilaria plantations and then treat them with a patented process that guarantees every tree produces agarwood.

This particular investment is typically classed as a short to medium-term investment that can produce returns from as early as the end of the third year from the investment date.

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“Black Gold” Thieves Strike At “Lost World”

Gaharu thieves, mainly from Thailand and aided by locals and big-time financiers, are now operating in conservation forests in Sabah after they have virtually raped existing forests in the peninsular.

By BI Reporters

 

LAHAD DATU: Gaharu thieves have infiltrated the Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA), dubbed as Sabah’s ‘Lost World’, in search of the precious agarwood (or gaharu) which, when processed can fetch thousands of ringgit in the international market.

This was the shocking discovery made during a ten-day intensive resource and wildlife inventory survey to the pristine rain forest by local researchers, including Emin Madi, a BERNAMA writer, recently.

Several members of the survey team not only found hard and fresh evidence of encroachment such as bullet casings, camping sites, hunting and fishing paraphernalia and graffiti on tree trunks but even came into close encounters with a band of suspected poachers or gaharu collectors.

Although gaharu, also known as agarwood or ‘black gold’ given its preciousness and value, is now being cultivated in plantations, it is still the variety found in the wild that finds premium prices by international buyers..

The Borneo Insider understands that gaharu thieves, mainly from Thailand and aided by locals and big-time financiers, are now operating in conservation forests in Sabah after they have virtually raped existing forests in the peninsular.

Among those experimenting with cultivated gaharu in Sabah are the Forestry Department as well as the Sabah Land Development Board which has a trial plot in Nabawan and also Litang, Lahad Datu.

But it is the private sector, including former Chief Minister Datuk Harris Salleh, who are already years ahead in this crop.

Sandalwood has been in use for at least 4,000 years of the oldest incense materials. It is a very important ingredient in Japanese and Chinese incense, in both traditional and modern formulas.

Middle eastern countries covet the sandalwood oil which can command prices of up to thousands of ringgit based on its quality.

The gaharu tree grown in the wild can reach more than 50 meters tall. The tree reaches its full maturity in 60 to 80 years, which is when the center of the trunk has achieved its greatest oil content.

As the tree grows, the essential oil develops in the roots and heartwood, which requires at least 15 to 20 years. Full maturity is reached after 60 to 80 years. The core of dark heartwood gradually develops,, which is covered by outer sapwood.

Sandalwood essential oil is distilled from the roots and heartwood of trees. The scent, called chandana, is in aromatherapy used to induce a calm and meditative state. The lasting fragrance only improves with age.

According to mythology, sandalwood originally grew only in heaven’s gardens. Temple gates and religious statues are carved from the wood because of this spiritual association, the exquisite scent, and because it is impermeable to termites and other insects.

Sandalwood also has an age-old reputation as an aphrodisiac, and in fact, its fragrance is similar to the human pheromone, alpha androsterole.

The scent of sandalwood has a soft, warm, woody, and balsamic fragrance.

Its therapeutic properties includes – antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, astringent, sedative, insecticide, urinary and lung antiseptic; relieves lung congestion and nausea.

One of sandalwood’s most important uses is to sedate the nervous system, subduing nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, and to some degree, reducing nerve pain. Researchers have found it relaxes brain waves..

Suitable for all complexion types, it is especially useful on rashes, inflammation, acne, and dry, dehydrated, or chapped skin.

At one time gaharu poachers were known to be operating in the jungles of Pensiangan as well as the Marak Paak Forest Reserve, and the Borneo Insider believes that the Forestry Department is well aware of this crime.

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Gaharu – Black Gold of the Forest

Gaharu also known as agarwood, aloeswood or eaglewood is the resinous, fragrant and highly valuable heartwood produced by the Aquilaria tree which has been widely used by the aromatic industry.

When the trees were infected with mold, it begins to produce an aromatic resin in response to this attack. As the infection grows, it results in a very rich, dark resin within the heartwood. The resin is commonly called gaharu, jinko, aloeswood, agarwood, pokok karas or oud and is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and thus is used for incense and perfumes.

Aquilaria spp. tree is an evergreen angiosperm of the family Thymelaeaceae (Ng. et al., 1997). The mature tree could grow up to 40 meter high and 60 centimeter in diameter with moderately straight stem. It bears white flowers that are sweetly scented. A total of about fifteen (15) species of Aquilaria have been reported and have significant commercial value. These species include Aquilaria malaccensis, A. agallocha, A. baillonii, A. crassna, A. hirta, A. rostrata, A. beccariana, A. cummingiana, A. falaria, A. khasiana, A. microcarpa,, A. grandiflora, A. chinensis or A. sinensis. A. boneensis, and A. bancana.

Aquilaria species, generally, have smooth, thin, pale, gray bark with dense, dark foliage of shiny elliptical to oblong leaves with average leaves size of 7.5 – 12 cm long and 2.5-5.5 cm wide (Ding Hou, 1960). A shade-tolerant tree, Aquilaria is an understory tree of mature evergreen and semi-evergreen forest occurring at low to medium altitudes, generally up to 1000 m above sea level depending on the type of species. All these Aquilaria species are significantly important for gaharu industries.

In the market, gaharu is the trade name generally refers to “fragrant wood” or “scented wood” or “aromatic resinous wood” source from Aquilaria spp. timber tree. This fragrant wood has several other common names, such as “agarwood, eaglewood or aloeswood” (English), “agor” (Bangladesh), “akyaw” (Myanmar), “calambour” (French), “adlerholz” (Germany), “kalambak, calambac or tengkaras” (Kalimantan, Sabah and Sarawak), “kikaras” (Sundanese), “alim, halim or karek” (Sumatra), “agaru or sasi” (India), “kanankoh” (Vietnam) and “Ch’Ing Kui Hsiang, Ch’En Hsiang, Chan Hsiang, Chi Ku Hsiang or Huang Shu Hsiang (China).

Gaharu served as raw material for the production of many aromatic medicinal products, such stimulant, tonic and carminative medicine. The essential oil extracted from the wood served as constituent of medicines for palpitation of the heart and other ills (Burkill, 1966). For an example, in Japan, the “scented wood” has also long been used as incenses for stomachache remedy and sedatives of the Oriental medicine as well as used to anoint the dead (Okugawa et al., 1993). In India, the essential oil extracted from the “scented wood” has been used in the production of perfume and other new products such as gaharu essence, soap and shampoo (Chakrabarty et al., 1994). In Malaysia, Gaharu continue to be highly demanded by the cosmetic and manufacturing industries..

For more than 200 years, Gaharu has been traded across Europe and Asia. The main consumers are from the Middle East and China (Burkill 1935). In the Middle East, particularly the Arab, gaharu are largely used as incense in religious ceremonies or spiritual rituals.

Currently the demand for gaharu is high and large quantities are traded in domestic and international market. Internationally, gaharu are widely traded to the Middle East, China, Taiwan and Japan in the form of solid wood to be used as incense for traditional and religious ceremonies, medicinal purposes, and in distilled pure resin form for perfume and perfume component. The traded price ranges from low to extremely high depending on the values and qualities of the gaharu produced.

Annual Gaharu exports from Malaysia amounted to RM72mil a year. In Peninsular Malaysia, approximately 0.5 million kg of gaharu was exported from 1998 to 2003 which contributed an estimated amount of RM36 million to the national economy.

Agarwood trees are able to be harvested after 7 years of planting. Inoculation process can be applied when the tree is 5 years old and it can produced excellent Agarwood continuously over the 2 years.

Gaharu can be produced through conventional and non-conventional methods. Conventionally, gaharu is produced by wounding the Aquilaria tree involving slashing with parang or knife in order for the trees to be infected and begin to produce aromatic resin. On the contrary, non-conventional method for the production of large volume of quality gaharu from Aquilaria tree is also available and continuously explored.

Currently China is the biggest consumers of gaharu with an import of 500 tons per year. The biggest consumers of agarwood products are Middle East, Taiwan and Japan whereas the biggest exporter of gaharu is Indonesia.

Gaharu Gred A

Gaharu Gred B

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History and Health of Gaharu

History of Gaharu

Agarwood, Gaharu, Chen Xiang or Oudh is the most precious and expensive wood presently in existence. Also known as natural treasure and the wood of God due to the numerous uses and benefits each tree provides. The use of this treasured wood is dated as early as 600 AD and it is even mentioned in the Bible as aloeswood.

Agarwood is formed when an Aquilaria tree gets infected by a certain type of fungus. This dark, aromatic resinous heartwood is then known as Agarwood or Gaharu is highly valued for its distinctive fragrance used for incense and perfumes.

A kilogram of unprocessed gaharu’s heartwood can fetch as much as RM 10,000 per kilogram. Distilled gaharu essential oil can command up to RM 100,000 per kilogram and the price is expected to rise due to increasing international demand.

This prized wood can only be found in the South East Asia Region and each region produces a different species of wood which are all highly sought after by the Middle East, China, Taiwan and Japan. Currently, Annual Gaharu exports from Malaysia amounts to RM 72 Million a year.

Due to the high value and demand for Agarwood, there have been many reported cases of robbery and theft in the wild.

Health benefits

Gaharu tea has been traditionally know to provide many beneficial properties to its consumers..

• It is rich in essential nutrients such as calcium, zinc, iron, manganese and vitamins
• It contains high levels of anti-carcinogen, anti-oxidant and anti-aging properties
• Treats poor liver function and is a tonic for healthier liver
• Maintains, stabilize and lower blood pressure
• Reduces Insomnia (sleeping difficulty)
• Produces a calming effect, a stress-reliever
• Maintains, stabilizes and reduce blood sugar level for diabetic
• Reduce Uric-acid (Gout)
• Treats Lymphatic system (body defense system)
• Improves constipation, abdominal cramps, gassing, diarrhoea, sensitive bowel (IBS)
• Relieves and treats respiratory system, chest congestion, chronic cough, asthma,, sinus

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