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
Al-Nuwayrī (1279–1333 CE) offers a detailed report on the countries of origin and the different kinds of agarwood. However, their botanical source, local origin, and trade are still shrouded in mystery (Wiedemann and Grohmann, ‘Benutzte Drogen’, 33–4).
The best quality agarwood is known under the name al-hindī (‘from the Indian world’,, while “India” in historical sources referred to a vast and indistinct area along the Indian Ocean Rim and from South Asia up to Southeast Asia)/(al-mandalī).
There are three known agarwood sub-groups – the qāmurūbī, the samandūrī (also called rayḥān al- ūd), and the al-qamārī (34–5), thereby indicating regional origins within the vast area of “India.” Qāmurūbī may refer to Assam, qamārī to Cambodia.
A Study of Arabic Texts, e.g. 75. However, even if agarwood exists in these areas, and these agarwood types are generally valued,, such geographical hints should be taken with caution; the historical quotations may not be identical with our current geographical understanding.
First, West Asian geographical knowledge was only developing at the time when those sources were written, second, long- distance trade and cultural exchange was characterized by – often multiple – resale and mediation, third, geographical knowledge was interwoven with legends and imaginative ideas, fourth, the identification of agarwood samples is generally extremely difficult and requires decades of personal experience, and fifth, geographical labels may have been used for heightening prestige or promoting business).
Various additional types of agarwood are known, like al-qaqūlī [al-qāqullī; associated with the Western coast of the Malaysian peninsula], al- anfī [affiliated with the region of today’s North Vietnam], al- andafūrī, al- īnī [associated with South China] (al-qaṭa ī), and a few more of minor importance. However, the specific quality of especially these minor kinds of agarwood in comparison with each other is a matter of discussion (and perfumery taste!), according to the often incongruent information provided by different informants. (Al-Nuwayrī bases his encyclopaedic information on the notes by several earlier authors).
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.
Plants and trees have been used medicinally pre-dating written history. Early man, as a hunter-gatherer, must have sampled different plants to find out if they were edible and if so, what effects the plants had on the body. He would have learned quickly that some herbs bring on stupor, some enliven, others purge and of course, many nourish the body. A deep understanding and connection would have been formed between man and plant. As anyone who has lived close to the land soon learns, plants have a spirit of their own and can commune their intent if one is open enough to listen to their energetic frequency. In early times, man probably had a much keener awareness of his environment and worked more closely with the rhythms and vibrations of the earth. His sense of smell would be more honed, the odor entering the brain allowing him to intuit the efficacy of the plant by tuning into its vibration and sensing whether it would a healthy fit for his body. Modern man has lost a lot of innate connection to the spirits of the earth.
Still in pre-written history, we have oral accounts, telling of rituals and ceremonies using plants. “Smoking” was a basic form of an energetic cleansing ritual in which herbs were gathered and usually dried, then set afire so that the smoldering smoke would envelop the person or object being cleansed, clearing them of all negative energies. In our modern day we still use sage for ‘smudging’, as in earlier times, to clear unwanted negative energies from a room or person. The ancients might well have seen how burning certain plants would bring on different and desired effects. Some smoke would sedate and lull, some invite visionary experiences, while others would invigorate and energize, even causing anger or aggression. Burning herbs and plants in confined shelters with groups of people would have a community effect where the entire crowd would experience a similar sensation, creating the space for mass consciousness (or mass hysteria). Given the right mixture of herbs, a shaman or warlord could arouse the populous to do his will, for good or even evil purposes. Those in ancient power understood the power of the plants and plant spirits.
Egyptian statues The early Egyptian were well adept in their use of essential oils. Priests were probably the first aromatherapists in that they understood the efficacy of essential oils for medicinal and spiritual purposes. They left papyrus accounts of recipes delineating which essential oils were used in specific rituals. Priests assigned particular fragrances for each god and goddess and would entreat a favor from the god/goddess by anointing their statue with a specific formula of oils. These favors might range from prayers for health and healing, pleadings for favorable love matches, and beseeches in times of war and peace.
The use of incense is very old in China. Among the most appreciated incenses, there is agarwood, sandalwood, amber and musk, but of all these products, it is agarwood that is considered as the noblest, often associated to peace and harmony. In China, agarwood is called Chen Xiang which means “sinking incense “, being appointed so according to its remarkable density as in India.
Glorified by poetry,, incense is very appreciated by intellectuals, whose families are described as being “the inheritance of perfumed scholars “.
The Chinese started using it by 770 BC but it is necessary to wait 206 BC so that the Han dynasty gives him its prodigious status and makes it an exceptional product for everybody in China. The mixers of imperial perfume use it with products as the clove, the musk, the camphor, etc.
From 220 AC to 589 AC, the period of the” Six dynasties “, people used incense to perfume their clothes but it also became a hobby for scholars. At the time, the rich used agarwood to make their coffins. In Sanguo Zhi, historic chronicle covering the end of the Han dynasty and the period of Three Kingdoms (220 AC – 280 AC), it is indicated in chapter LXXVII and in chapter LXXXIII that great generals were buried in this type of coffins to honor them.
Under the Tang dynasty ( 618 AC – 907 AC), scholars were even more attached to incense, then used it to perfume clothes but also bedding, workplaces, gaming houses, etc. Incense is everywhere!
After the Tang and Song dynasties (960 AC- 1267 AC) incense, with tea, paint, and flower arrangements were part of ” Four Arts of the Chinese scholars ” whose details are exposed in the three most important publications on incense: Xiang Sheng (a history of incense), Xiang Pu (Equipment of Chinese incense) and Cheng Shi Xiang Pu (the Chinese incense equipment by Chen). According to a tradition, it is in this period of time that the Chinese monk Kanjin introduces the culture of incense in Japan which will develop later in the famous ceremony of Kodo. Agarwood is then very used by noble persons as by commoners for special occasions, the scholars wear it as lucky charm and state employees wear it under the form of pearls on their clothes. It is also used to repel insects in paintings and calligraphies.
It also occupies an important place in the Chinese spirituality because we find the use of agarwood in all Chinese religions, Taoism, Buddhism and Islam. FengShui recommends strongly its use; it is even one of the reasons of the disappearance of the agarwood and the increasing cost of the material, because of the very important current demand.
The Chinese are not only amateurs of incense; they have a very important role in the oud business since the Han dynasty. Quickly, the oud is divided into 20 categories according to its quality, the best being called Kinam. Chinese resellers put themselves very early in search of better quality wood and even go to Annam, who actually corresponds to Vietnam nowadays, where they find some quality wood in abundance.So, the chronicle of the 3rd century Nan Zhou Yi Wu Zhi, ” strange things of the South “, written by Wa Zhen, mentions agarwood of the commandery of Rinan (center Vietnam) and the way people harvest and collect it in mountains. From this period of time Chinese became wholesalers and intermediaries, roles which they preserved until today.
In China, Canton and Hong Kong are the closely linked cities to the incense business. Before the English invasion in 1830 the island of Hong Kong counted only 7500 inhabitants. It is situated in front of the delta of the river of Pearls, thus at the exit of Canton, only city quibbles where the incense business is authorized to foreigners.
For centuries, aquilaria sinensis is planted on the island in order to make business with various Chinese provinces but also with Asia and even the Arabic peninsula. Its harbor is very important to the incense trade. Moreover Hong means “incense, perfumed “, Kong means “harbor”, thus Hong Kong means” the incense harbor ” or ” the perfumed harbor ” .
During the 4th century, Arabic and Persian resellers build buildings and stores in the outskirts of Canton, and the Chinese traveler Fa-Hien notes the wealth of the resellers of oud coming from Hadramaout and Oman established in Ceylon. In the 6th century, the Greek geographer Cosmas Indicopleustes also evokes trades between China, Ceylon and the Middle East including big cargoes of oud.
As Zayd ibn Hassan de Siraf indicates in his “Silsilat at Tawarikh” (Chain of Chronicles), the Arabic resellers of the 9th century organize maritime journeys from Bassorah to Canton to get themselves oud. Persian and Arabic resellers spend time in Canton by playing games close to the backgammon, game parts often being made of delicately nice-smelling oud. The duration of these journeys, two years to go and return, and the multiple dangers to be faced, as wrecks and pirates, show how oud is so precious and exceptional to Arabs.
In the middle of the 13th century, customs officer Chau Ju-Kua, in the province of Canton writes Chu-fan-chi, a manual on business and trade. He indicates that the search for oud became intensified and that it is collected as far as the island of Hainan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia and Islands of Java and Sumatra. He also observes the delicious custom of Muslims of Canton which is to wash and perfume themselves with oud before going to the mosque for the morning prayer.
At the beginning of the 14th century, big traveler ibn Battuta visits Ceylon, on the Bassorah – Canton road. He meets the sultan there who possesses “a bowl bigger than the hand of a man in ruby which contains some aloesoil “… It leaves us dreaming, doesn’t it?
In classic perfumery, they’re known as the four ‘exalting fixatives.’ And they’re all animal aromatics: deer musk from the Himalayan muskdeer, ambergris from the sperm whale, castoreum from the male beaver, and civet from the civet cat.
Foul and strange in high concentrations,, these are the most heavenly aromatic substances on the perfumer’s palette – without which there would be no perfume.
Each of these has a unique appeal. For example, deer musk is at heart a sensual fragrance. In the wild, the musk gland of the deer is responsible for rousing a mating partner. Once extracted and distilled, the aroma of musk acts as an aphrodisiac. Its reality is one of attraction.
The world of perfume is a strange and wonderful place. And in this world, nothing quite compares to Oud oil; in its complexity, its variety, its sheer other-worldliness.
As a fragrance, Oud is a landscape in which you’ll find something of everything – from civet cats to rose petals, from patchouli to violets, farmlands to lilies, from figs to forest leaves, from raspberries and honey to leather to lavender. Oud is a microcosm of everything fragrant.
Whereas all essential oils are derived from an inherent quality present in a particular leaf or flower, Oud is something even more wondrous.
Oud oil is only given life by the event of dying. The agarwood tree is infected by a fungal disease, in reaction to which the tree produces a self-generated cure – the resin we know as Oud oil. The reality of Oud, then, is a struggle for life.
With an understanding of this almost sacrificial ceremony through which Oud oil is brought into existence, we should carefully consider how we conduct ourselves when harvesting this sacred tree. We believe that the spirit of the oil can only be captured when the tree is treated with due respect. In practice, this in part means not to harvest any of the last wild trees that remain standing in the jungles; to harvest cultivated trees only when fully infected and already moribund; grown in a natural habitat, safe from hands that spray the earth.
Compare the sight of a three, five, seven, or ten year old agarwood sapling to that of the majesty you see in a forty, fifty, seventy year old tree. What a difference!
Oud, Oudh, Aloeswood, Agarwood, Gaharu (different names for the same meaning) is the common name for the tar-like resinous heartwood that forms in the ancient Aquilaria and some Gyrinops species of trees that are native to the dense forests of South East Asia. The heartwood of the tree produces this dark aromatic resin as part of its natural defence mechanism when infected with fungus (Phialophora Parasitica).. This resin can be produced either through natural causes of the wild or through the artificial means of inoculating it with resin-inducing substances.
A Cultivate of Agarwood
The greater the infection of the tree will result in the heartwood of the Aquilaria trees bearing a hallmark high-grade oud wood – a dense, pitch-dark and resinous wood which would otherwise be light and pale-coloured if uninfected. It is worth to note that not all Aquilaria trees can be found producing this resinous heartwood and it is said that for every ten trees in the wild, only one will have its heartwood considerably infected. As for artificial inoculation of cultivated Aquilaria trees, it has been established that there is no certainty or guarantee that the tree will produce resin despite the human intervention. It is this resinous heartwood that can be known as jinko, oud, oudh, ki-nam, kyara, gaharu, aloeswood, eaglewood, chen xiang or agarwood according to the different cultures, that is prized and loved by all due to its rarity and the distinct and unique aroma it produces. To put it simply, the aroma of agarwood will just permeate the nostrils and leave you intrigued by its exquisite and complex scent, making you yearn for more.
Agarwood, or commonly known as Oud in the Middle Eastern world, has gained considerable interest and popularity in the West in recent times, with famous designer brands launching their own Oud fragrance, such as Giorgio Armani’s Oud Royal and Tom Ford’s Oud Wood. Arabian Oud, the mass producing house of Arabian fragrances recently swept majority of awards at FiFi 2012, a ceremony akin to the Oscars of the fragrance world.
History of this Time-Honoured Fragrance
Its interest is of no wonder, considering that Agarwood or Oud (not to be mistaken for Bakhoor) has been around for centuries since the ancient times of the Sanskrit, Torah, Gospel and the Muslim scriptures.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him) held the tradition of fumigation with agarwood which continues in the Muslim world up to this day. The Holy Prophet made known that agarwood is a distinct item of Paradise in his saying, “The first group of people who will enter Paradise, will be glittering like the full moon and those who will follow them, will glitter like the most brilliant star in the sky. They will not urinate, relieve nature, spit, or have any nasal secretions. Their combs will be of gold, and their sweat will smell like musk. The aloes-wood will be used in their centers..”. The Messenger of God also revealed the numerous healing properties of agarwood, which in the particular saying, referred to Hindi Oud and its effectiveness in treating pleurisy.
The Song of Songs describes King Solomon (peace be upon him) as “coming up from the desert like a column of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and incense” and there are numerous references throughout this book of the Old Testament to “every kind of incense tree” which popular belief denotes to Oud. The bible mentioned several citations of Oud, including a text in which Jesus (peace be upon him) is said to have been perfumed with aloes (Oud).
The extremely wealthy ancient Chinese used to make their coffins out of this aloeswood while in Buddhism, the most precious Buddhist string of beads numbering to 108 is made of agarwood. One story tells of a monk’s sacrificing spirit in which he grinds one of his agarwood beads into powder whenever he met the sick in order to cure them with it, which resulted with even the seriously stricken person getting well.
Stories tells us of the extreme habits of luxury of King Louis XIV of France, who had the practice of washing his clothes in Oud. Agarwood also has been associated with the Chinese tradition of Fengshui, a discipline of governing the flow of energy in a particular place, and the Oud wood has been associated with producing good luck and positive energy wherever it is placed.
Numerous Benefits of Agarwood
Agarwood Chips
Agarwood oil essence or the pure Oud Oil is often associated with its ability to bring about calmness in the nervous system, its ability to cultivate focus and alertness when used and, as some say, the positive effect it gives to one’s libido system when applied regularly. Oud Essential Oil is indeed an aromatherapy, is not gender-specific and can be enjoyed by both sexes, though some females may prefer a blended version of the Oud Oil due to the strong potent smell of the pure Oud essence. In the Middle East, men and women burn Oud wood chips to fragrance their houses and also their clothes so that the lasting scent will permeate the whole garment.
The benefits that are involved with Oud are vast, ranging from psychoactive and spiritual, to therapeutic and medicinal. Keep in mind that the information we share below is only for your general information and is not to be relied for diagnostic and treatment purposes.
Agarwood calms the body, removes destructive and negative energies, provides enhanced awareness, reduces fear, invokes a feeling of vigour and harmony, and enhances mental functionality
Oud eases neurotic and obsessive behavior and helps create harmony and balance in your home
Agarwood is highly psychoactive
Oud is highly effective for meditation, enlightenment, bringing deep tranquility and relaxation
Agarwood is suggested by proficient masters for giving inspiration and the imperative affection for meditation
Oud is said to bring connection with the transcendent, stimulating the psyche, human body and consciousness. It is said that prayers rise with the scented smoke of agarwood incense and carry the prayer to the Creator. The angels are attracted to the scent and Oud smoke. That is why Muslims love to burn Oud wood and fumigate their houses on Thursday nights, the holiest of the weeknights to them.
Buddhists deploy agarwood for transmutation of ignorance. Tibetan monks utilize it to convey energy to wind down the mind and spirit. The Sufis and Japanese shamans use agarwood oil in their esoteric rites.
Oud helps to improve mental clarity, opens the third eye and all of the upper chakras while calming the whole entire spiritual system.
Medically, agarwood is a tonic, aphrodisiac, diuretic, relieves epilepsy, antimicrobial, carminative, anti-asthmatic.
Oud is used in nervous disorders, digestive, bronchial complaints, smallpox, rheumatism, illness during and after childbirth, spasms in the digestive and respiratory systems, fevers, abdominal pain, asthma, cancer, colic, diarrhea, nausea, regurgitation, weakness in the elderly, shortness of breath, chills, general pains and cirrhosis of the liver. It also acts as a director or focuser for other medicines. It has been used as a treatment for lung and stomach tumors.
Agarwood by any other name would smell as sweet…
Below you will find the different names of Oud used in many different cultures, evidence of the high degree of its appreciation worldwide:
Agar – Urdu (Pakistan)
Agar or Aguru – Bengali
A-ga-ru (ཨ་ག་རུ་) – Tibetan
Aguru – Telugu and Kannada
Akil (அகில்) – Tamil
Cham Heong – Cantonese
Chénxiāng (沉香) – Chinese
Gaharu – Indonesian and Malay
Ghara or Eaglewood – Papua New Guinea
Jinkō (沈香) – Japanese (In Japan, kyara (伽羅) is the highest grade of jinkō)
Lignum aquila (eagle-wood), Agilawood, Lignum aloes or Aloeswood – Europe
Agarwood is everything that you can think of, right from being an amazing therapeutic oils to an aphrodisiac, to a fragrant oil, everything! It has long been used in the past for various purposes which if I start to disclose to you now, you might get highly surprised.
Agarwood is now found very occasionally in the wilds of Vietnam, Laos, Burma and Cambodia (Kampuchea.) It is no longer found in –
India
Bangladesh
Thailand
China
There are rumors of farms (both successful and unsuccessful) in Vietnam and Indonesia. The only large trees left are in Western Kampuchea, because of the impossibility of collection for many years due to continual fighting and mine laying. There may also be a few large trees left in the very remote forests of Laos. The mere presence of the tree is not a guarantee of fragrant agarwood; there must also be a presence of a certain group of fungi imperfecti, and the synergy that takes place between these fungi and the tree will cause the fragrant compounds to blossom..
Agarwood is an aphrodisiac, both in oil form, and as incense. These are generally topical uses but the oil is also sold in Vietnamese pharmacies for internal use with the same goal. Chinese medicine uses powdered Aquilaria as a treatment for cirrhosis of the liver and as a director or focuser for other medicines. It has also been used as a treatment for lung and stomach tumors. Internal use of the powdered wood will also clean you out and give you lots of energy. Don’t go grinding up your incense however, unless you are 100% sure of the quality and purity of the wood you are using. There are rumors of Chinese factories churning out luscious smelling but ultimately fake wood chips, made of the lowest possible grade agarwood soaked for a month in synthetic (European manufactured) oud.
As a perfume ingredient, oud is sought and bought by certain Perfume houses as a tiny but essential component of some of their high-class perfumes; Zeenat and Amourage are two examples
The oil of oud is a diaphoretic; it will make you sweat, and beyond that, will connect you with something of the spirit world. It is important to note that there is no research done on this oil. We have access only to our own experiences. Oud symbolizes and calls forth that which connects us to the ancient, to the roots and soul of the earth, to the Garden of Eden and the Hand of God, to the timelessness of the spirit and the vibration of the ethereal world, to the basis of our primal selves and the completeness of existence.
Vietnam Agarwood 