There are at least 3 common methods to extract oil from agarwood.
Hydro Distillation
Hydro distillation is the gentler process for obtaining essential oils. In this method, Agarwood chips are fully submerged in water, producing a ‘soup’, and the still is brought to boil. The resultant steam of which contains the aromatic plant molecules being captured and condensed. The oil will normally float on top of the ‘hydrosol’ (the distilled water component) and may be separated off. When the condensed material cooled down, the oil and hydrosol is separated and the decanted oil to be used as essential oil..
This method protects the oil so extracted to a certain degree, since the surrounding water acts as a barrier to prevent it from overheating. Hydro distillation can be performed at a reduced pressure (under vacuum) to reduce the temperature to less than 100°C, which is useful in protecting the plant material as well as essential oil. In spite that the hydro-distillation is, the most common method to extract and isolate the essential oils because for perfumery, the high temperatures can destroy the most delicate fragrance molecules, so hydro-distillation is preferred, but it is a time consuming process and needs a large amounts of plant material.
Steam Distillation
Steam distillation seems to be the best method for the extraction and isolation of essential oils from the plant materials (Kister, 1992). The desired plant material is placed onto a still. A still is a specialized piece of equipment that is used in the distillation process. It consists of a vessel into which heat is added and a device that is used for cooling. The plant is first placed into the vessel.. Next steam is added and passed through the plant. The heat from the steam helps to open the pockets of the plant that contain the plant’s aromatic molecules or oils.
Once open, the plant releases these aromatic molecules and in this state, the fragrant molecules are able to rise along with the steam. The vapors carrying these molecules travel within a closed system towards the cooling device. Cold water is used to cool the vapors. As they cool, they condense and transform into a liquid state. The liquid is collected in a container and as with any type of oil/water mixture, it separates. The oils float towards the top while the water settles below. From there, it’s a simple matter of removing the oils that have been separated. These are the highly condensed, aromatic oils used in aromatherapy.
Supercritical CO2 Extraction
When CO2 (carbon dioxide) is subjected to high pressure, the gas turns into liquid. This liquid CO2 can be used as a very inert, safe, “liquid solvent.” which will extract the aromatic molecules in a process similar to that used to extract absolutes (above). The advantage, of course, is that no solvent residue remains, since at normal pressure and temperature, the CO2 simply reverts to a gas and evaporates. CO2 extraction has given us essences of some aromatics that don’t yield essential oils, Rose Hip Seed and Calendula, for examples.
Have you ever put on perfume in the morning only to find that the fragrance disappeared or changed by the afternoon? This is because commercial perfumes are mass produced from cheaply manufactured synthetic aroma chemicals, and rarely contain any genuine aromatics.. The average $80 bottle of perfume can cost as little as $5 to produce. Are you actually getting what you’ve paid for?
Aloeswood oil is 100% pure, natural, and authentic fragrance essence. Too thick to spray, Aloeswood is a luscious oil that feels like fine velvet when rubbed onto the skin. Agarwood does not contain one molecule of synthetic aroma chemicals, and is certifiable the core essential fragrance you are seeking in any perfume. Due to the pure nature of Ouds and its limited supply, the production rate is more costly. Read also about the Quality of Agarwood Oil.
One swipe of Oud oils will keep you emanating a rich, intoxicating aroma all day. Experience fine line of Oud, and you will never go back to using commercial perfume again!
Different types grades, quality, properties and smell of Agarwood oil from India. Article by Trygve Harris
India Super Hindi – Sweet succulent woods and warm balsam start this delicious descent, all full and rich. It seems all consciousness comes to a head and the soft sweet undertone supports a heady balsamic heaven. This oil holds together well, changing perhaps less than the others as the minutes tick by. These are the highest most divine notes, and this oudh has them all. Super long lived, 24 hours later my teeth still tingle, and the balsam happy notes are still singling their joyous soft melodies.
India Birrin – Sharp smoke and acids leap to the forefront of this fecal and fecund oil.. This oil, more than any of the others, evokes the interior of the body. Rank and robust, the combination is nevertheless exciting and a little bit surreptitious. This is the rawest and most volatile of the oudhs. He is like a wild young man, completely out of control. But even though he might make you uncomfortable, there is something alluring and seductive about him, even if you feel a little weird about it afterward. Try as you might to stay away from him, I’m willing to bet you sneak a taste when no ones looking.
Different types grades, quality, properties and smell of Agarwood oil from Laos. Article by Trygve Harris.
Lao Sompat — rich ripe fruity top, with underlying dirty, earthy balsamic, teeth tingling mouth watering characteristic so indicative of lao oud, followed by an ethereal subtly sumptuous, ecstasy fomenting bliss. As this oil evolves, a rooted, deep dark forest sense enters, with an almost vetiver-like (almost) sense of roots, mud and water, further along peppery notes come out, with the sharpness almost immediately ceding to the warm black pepper tones, and a bit of barnyard behind it. By this point, the oudh makes a nest in the back of the throat, creating an entire vibrating orgasmic world between the throat and the top of the head. After this a tobacco note begins to show, and with the road now open, this oudh just opens and flows, like the highway as you drive through the desert at dawn.
Lao Keo — fruity, fecal, lots of higher, top notes, with a fertile, ripe, fermenting edge, rounding out with the deeper notes in more of a mid level, black cherry aspect. As this oil evolves, we come across a grim sweetness, not really sweet, but like a slightly overbearing yet happy drunk. Further along, a liquor fueled, rolling sense creeps in, with the deep earthy notes being hijacked by this alluring, siren song. There is a rich rotten underlying note, which is exciting in a way things are not supposed to be, according to society’s structure, so it’s a hidden kind of excitement, a forbidden kind of excitement..
Lao Super — smooth, subtle, sophistication with all the deep harmonies present in a multi-layered symphony. There’s barn and there’s pepper, but these notes play like oboes and cellos, with the violin-like tobacco flower. Something of a musty unused attic plays the timpani. And deep rich loamy earth presents the bass, a fertile breeding ground for the strong bright and true unfolding of honeyed melodies. This oil can easily go into obsession when you bury your face in him. You might not want to come up for air! As I immerse myself in this most dominant of oudhs, my teeth tingle, and it’s almost impossible to take. The notes don’t easily unravel themselves; they play in a tight and taut formation but with a steady underscore of earth and roots,, fertility and fecundity.
Lao Boyah — This is the one we have called “cultivated” in the past. Boyah is agarwood distilled from uninfected, or white, wood. If your agarwood is solid at room temperature, then it’s boyah. While Boyah is not technically Oudh, it is agarwood. Boyah can be any quality, and this Lao Boyah is really a nice one. He smells like oudh, except a little more spastic and wilder, with the notes going crazy, all dirt, mud, fecal and pepper screaming over each other but it makes that throat-top-of-the-head connection. The body is bright and all aspects become integrated. As he wears in and on, this agarwood unfolds very tightly, revealing many if not all of the same notes found in Sompat.
Just as a mystic sage grows in wisdom and spiritual insight over the years, so does the Agarwood resin in the Aquilaria trunk intensify its fragrance over time.
The quality of an Aloeswood oil depends on the quality of the Agarwood from which it is extracted. The oldest and most resinated aloeswood will yield the rarest and most precious Oud oil. The aging process enhances the fragrant aura of the Oud resin and intensifies its aromatic value..
That is why there is a wide range of different Oud qualities and grades. The cheapest Oud oil is distilled from agarwood that costs as little as $20 a kilogram, while the finest Oud can be distilled from agarwood that costs as much as $7,000 per kilogram. The latter is regarded as the highest quality Oud, and it is produced and cherished only in the royal circles of the Gulf and Far East.
The very finest Agarwood reaches a resin content so heavy that it actually sinks in water. This is a phenomenal occurrence because, like all types of wood, Aloeswood normally floats on water. The resin of the Oud becomes so dense that it causes the agarwood to sink. This type of sinking grade aloeswood is known as ‘jinkoh’, which means ‘sinking incense’.
Oriscent presents sinking-grade Oud in its most potent and fragrant form.
1) This oil is water distilled from fungus infected wood of the tree Aquilaria Agallocha, growing in northeastern India. Agar Oil is pale yellow to brownish yellow or dark amber viscous liquid of rich and sweet woody, almost balsamic and with a sweetness similar to that of sandalwood oil.
2) This is a large evergreen tree, 18-21 meters, sometimes up to 40 meters in height, 1.5-2.5 meters in girth, moderately straight with an often fluted stem. The leaves are 5-9 cm. long, thinly coriaceous, oblong-lanceolate, and the flowers are white, green, or dirty yellow in terminal sessile or shortly peduncled, umbellate cymes. The scent that most are familiar with is obtained by water distillation from the oleoresin/wood only after this tree has been infected with a fungal infection. Non-infected trees do not produce the highly fragrant oil or wood. This tree is found in various Southeast Asian forests, Bangladesh, Bengal, Bhutan, Burma, China, Vietnam and Cambodia. The scent is reminiscent of vetiver and sandalwood and is extremely long-lasting. It is important for us to note that the infected tree must be at least 50 years old to produce the oil.
3) Also Known As -Aloes Wood, Eaglewood, Oud, Ud, Gaharu, Wood Aloe.
4) Properties – Relieves spasm and epilepsy, inhibits the central nervous system, antibiotic, relieves pain, calming, anti-asthmatic, aphrodisiac.
5) Uses – Traditional medical uses for this product include: asthma, chest congestion, colic, diarrhea, diuretic, kidney problems, nausea, thyroid cancer, lung tumors and as a general tonic in China. In Indian Ayurvedic medicine it has been used as a cardiac tonic and carminative (relieves gas from the intestines). There is some belief that this oil may be useful in treating lymph system disorders, high blood pressure and as an anti-malarial treatment due to its chemical composition and components. It is felt that because of the difficulty in receiving this oil, alternative medicine practitioners have not investigated it. It is non-sticky and can be applied directly to the skin or can be thinned in jojoba oil. This is one of the most precious and expensive of essential oils and is truly amazing. It should be experienced by any connoisseur of essential oils. You only need to use a tiny amount of this oil at a time; be prepared for the slow release of its aroma over the next 12 hours. There is no other known oil that is this tenacious.
6) Blends with – The warming, balancing, purifying, deep woodsy, and transcendent qualities of this most unique oil blends well with Carnation, Geranium, and Sandalwood.
7) It has long been an olfactory prize for discerning noses. Agar oil, is highly valued and universally prized as ‘Otto of Roses”. Agar though little known in Assam and the North – East is a highly sought after comodity, and the premiums it commands today in the international markets has dramatically transformed the lives of families and economies of areas where its trade exists or where it is procured. One such area that has reaped and flourished from this wonderful resource is the Hojai Sub-division of Nagaon district.
8) The use of agaru is prehistoric. The aromatic Aloe wood mentioned in the Bible was no other but the heartwood of Aquilaria ovata, or agar. There is mention of the use of Aloe wood(udul-Hind) in Paradise as incense in the famous Ahadith – Sahi Al – Bukhari. Agar also finds a place in the travelogues on ancient Kamrup by Chinese pilgrim Hiuen – Tsang, besides earning a mention in Abhijnanmam Shakuntalam of Kalidasa and Arthashastra of Chanakya.
9) Agar is inextricably linked to Assam’ s rich cultural heritage. In antiquity, Assam’ s monarchs employed the used bark of the Sasi Agar tree for chronicling their royal circulars and diktats.
10) The first historical biographies in Sanskrit –the Harsha Charita written by Bana in 652 AD also chronicles the fact that among the many gifts sent by Assamese king Bhaskara Varman to Harsha, volumes of fine writing in leaves made from aloe bark and balck aloe oil occupied a very prominent place. The Nowgong grant of Balavarman gives a graphic desciption of Pragjyotisha nagara where areca nuts are wrapped in leaves of creeper of betel-plants and Krishnaguru(telegu for Agarwood) or black aloe wood trees were surrounded with cardamom creepers. It is also recorded that after conquering the last king Gaur Gobind in 1348AD ,in Sylhet ,Saint Fakir Ali Shah Jalal and his followers found agar wood and agar attar along with many other valuables in the royal store. This clearly indicates that distillation of agar oil was done as far back as 13th century or even much earlier. Abul Fazal Allami in his Ain-I-Akbari (memories of Emperor Akbar written in 1590 AD gives a vivid description of agarwood and agar oil along with their manufacturing process and uses. It is also said that the Mughals invaded Assam mainly for agaru..such was it lure.!!.
11) Revered Vaishnava saint – reformer and literary giant Sri Sankardeva, Vaisnavite saint Shri Madhab Deb also used sheets of the Agar for giving a written expression to their sermons, widely using agar for their sacred scriptures . Sri Sankardeva is also believed to have said that agar and chandana are the two divine trees capable of fulfilling human desires. Religious puthis and history was also written and copied on specially treated bark of agar trees, known since time immemorial as Sanchipat and puthis, numerous puthis some dating back to as far back as 500 years ago are still preserved in quintessentially Assamese sacred repositories such as Than,Satras and Namgarh.
12) It is nothing but a rare fungus that attaches itself to the agar tree that has made agar such a valuable and sought after product. This fungus once it establishes itself on the tree turns the woody trunks into a deep brownish black colour. The darker the woody bark turns due to fungal infection, the more valuable the wood It is the fungus that gives the agar wood its unique aroma, when it is burnt. The oleoresin is usually found where the branches fork out from the stem. Agaru or agarwood is the heavily oleoresin impregnated solid chips of wood obtained and processed from the fungus affected part of the trees. Devoid of the fungus, the agar tree in itself has no value. So it is natures value addition to the tree that commands a premium in the market.
13) The uses of Agar are many. Its aromatic bark popularly known as Agar Batti is used as incense in many a home. Its by-product Agar oil used as a base for Attars and perfumes. The heavy base notes of the Agar oil lends itself to blend well with other essential oils such as rose,ylang ylang ,and jasmine that collectively power the perfume industry,the world over. Some European perfume houses especially seek out Agar oil to create heavier muskier perfume that have enhanced Agars demand and thereby carved a special niche market for these agar dependant perfumes.
14) Agar Oil also has therapeutic uses as it is used in a large number of Unani and Ayurvedic medicines. Interestingly agar is also used to flavour common and widely used betel nut preparations such as Pan Parag and and Baba Zarda.
15) In Hojai,is sold at a rate of 100-6000 rupees per tola or 11.62 grams. In economic terms ,its value is pegged at one and half times the price of gold.
16) Once the Agar wood is procured, t is classified on the basis of quality. The less darker pieces are put into larger water drums to soften.
Once these wood pieces soften, they are ground into a powder and are put into vessels called Degs with water. Degs are then heated so as to encourage the ground agar to release the oil within it. Once the water inside the Deg reaches a certain boiling temperature then the oil from the wood along with the water vapour reaches a container called the vabka. Before reaching the vabka the water vapour that passes through a steel pipe between the Deg and the vabka is cooled what therefore reaches the Vabka is a combination of water and agar oil,with the oil floating over the water. This oil is carefully extracted with a fine syringe and then stored into a fine glass bottle to be sun –dried for the final product –the Agar Oil.
17) The need for research into this dwindling valuable resource is compelling .Except in Nagland, there is no Agar left in India. Traditional sources are drying up. Reserves in Kalibanthan and Salabasi in Indonesia are also diminishing day by day .Fortunately for traders,new sources have been discovered in Maraoca near Indonesia and Pupua New Guinea, Laos and parts of Java.
Agarwood is the dark, resinous heartwood that forms in the Aquilaria tree. The Aquilaria tree is a large, evergreen tree native to Tropical Monsoon Asia which produces a dark aromatic resin in response to its tropical environment. Prior to formation of the fragrant resin, the heartwood is relatively light and pale in color. The rich resin imbued wood is called Agarwood, Oud or Oudh.. Agarwood is also known throughout the world as Gaharu, Jinko, Aloeswood and Eagleswood. Traded and treasured for centuries, Oud oil and chips have been highly revered in Islamic culture, especially amongst Sufis or the mystics of Islam.
How is Oud oil made?
The Agarwood is harvested in the jungles or plantations and brought to the distillers. Prior to distillation, some of the wood is separated and sold as chips for burning as incense. The remaining resinous wood is distilled into Oud oil or Agarwood oil. To facilitate extraction of the oil, the wood is soaked in water prior to the distillation process. Two distillation techniques are common. Forced steam distillation is used in Indonesia, while hydro-distillation is more common in Indian, Cambodia and Thailand. These methods leave their distinct mark on the Oud oil. Unlike perfumes or Attars such as Amber perfume, Arabian perfume, Arabic perfume, Islamic perfume or essential oils such as Jasmine oil, Frankincense oil, Arabian oil, Egyptian musk oil, our Oud oil is 100% pure Agarwood oil and is not blended with other oil perfumes. One should not be confused with products being sold as Arabian Oud since the Aquilaria tree does not grow in the Arabian Peninsula. All Oudh oil sold in the Arabic world is imported by wholesale perfume oil companies from Tropical Monsoon Asia.
The tree from which oud comes is known by many names including: – Eagleswood, Aloeswood, Agarwood and Kyara. Its name is oud in Arabic and Urdu, but should not be confused with the stringed instrument rather like an old fashioned lute which has the same name. In Hindi it is known as agar, not to be confused with the seaweed used for a gel instead of gelatine, which we in the West call agar agar. Oud oil is the most expensive oil in the world, and has been for millennia. It is the aloeswood of the Bible, and is little known in the West. The markets for it continue to be in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and Japan where it is used in religious and cultural ceremonies as well as in traditional medicine.
The agarwood trees originate in Pakistan, India, Bhutan, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia including Papua New Guinea.
It is mentioned in the Sanskrit Veda texts and in the chronicle written in the 3rd century AD by Wa Zhen, “Nan zhou yi wu shi” (“Strange Things from the South”). It is found in the Far East and Asia and is the most luxurious perfume base that money can buy. It takes around 300 years to form, and trade routes for this and other perfumes and incense such as frankincense and myrrh were well-established by 1500 BC.
In the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent there is a legend which says that oud came from Paradise with Adam. He covered himself with the leaves from the agarwood to shield his nakedness and when he fell from paradise, the leaves were scattered by the wind and fell over Asia and Indian subcontinent where have grown ever since.
Ibn Sina or Avicenna as he is known in the West improved the distillation process for making Attar of roses and this helped the production of oud oil too. Today oud oil costs more than $27,000 a pound weight, and the agarwood for making incense or incense burners costs $13,000 a kilo for top quality wood. An ounce of standard quality oud oil goes for somewhere around $1000-$1400 US. A miniscule amount of the oil will release its fragrance for 8 hours.
The oil is reminiscent of amber oil and in her book, “The Complete Incense Book”, Susanne Fischer-Rice describes the perfume in this way: “Agarwood has balsamic ambergris, woody, deep fragrance. To experience the many nuances of this unique substance is like a journey on the road to spiritual perfection”. So it will come as no surprise to you that it is used by Buddhists to prepare for meditation. The oil and incense produced from the wood has also been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries..
Unfortunately, naturally enough the agarwood tree is endangered because of the value of the oil. Poachers deplete the stocks of agarwood trees and they are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES). The Aquilaria malaccensis was put on the list in 1995 and all the other species of Aquilaria were added in 2004.
Oud oil is produced in trees which have been infected by a fungus, and is the trees’ response to the fungal attack. In cultivated trees they can be infected through injections by the fungus which speeds up the process of producing the oud oil which has taken 300 years. Because of the endangerment of these trees scientists from around the world have come up with ways of replenishing the world’s stocks. In Thailand people are being encouraged to plant the trees in their gardens and nurseries have produced millions of saplings of agarwood trees to prevent their extinction. They are now grown in plantations which use sustainable methods to extract the oil. In Vietnam there are also programmes to assist the growth of these trees.
In India, Pakistan and Thailand the agarwood trees still exist in the wild, but they are in inaccessible forests which are dangerous for poachers and traders alike. Growing the trees in plantations and using sustainable methods to extract the oil will help the wild trees’ survival, and hopefully they will not go the way of the long extinct Pinus succinifera from which we get amber.
Oud oil is used in traditional medicine for a number of purposes, including to help in childbirth. Breathing the smoke from the burning wood will help with respiratory problems, colds, coughs and asthma. The oil has been used to help sufferers of rheumatism, as a stimulant and a tonic combined with other ingredients. It helps lift the spirit and boosts energy levels. However it is so expensive that the price prohibits the treatments. It is used in mosques, sometimes they have the wood as a burner for other incense, and sometimes they burn the wood chips as incense, along with amber and frankincense.
Oudh/Agarwood oil is derived from an Agarwood tree that grows abundantly in Laos, but is found all over Southeast Asia. The highest quality Agarwood trees can be found in the former countries of Indochina, such as: Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Also found in Assam a province in India, where the best distillers in the world can be found. Agarwood/Oud oil are products of infected species of trees, commonly being sought from Aquilaria and Gyrinops trees.
New methods to cultivate Agarwood in plantation grown trees by stimulating naturally occurring compounds called Sesquiterpenes and Chromones. These compounds are produced as a defense mechanism in the living tree to ward off microbial attack and are produced only under very specific circumstances within a tiny percentage of trees.. The resin can now be produced in trees as young as ten years old, without adversely affecting the environment and creating jobs for some of the poorest areas in the world.
With less than one percent of wild Agarwood trees producing the resin and no way of knowing which trees have the resinous wood, indiscriminate cutting has resulted in very few old Agarwood trees remaining in the wild.. Although protected by law in most countries and by international treaties, illegal cutting still occurs and old trees are endangered.
Agarwood comes in solid or liquid form. Solids are only solid at room temperature, and if warmed slightly, it turns to mobile liquid. It is an anti-asthmatic and can be applied directly to the skin as it is non-irritating. The oil is very tenacious and only the tiniest of drops is needed to fill the air with its soul evoking aroma. It is a complex aroma with many nuances, deep and ethereal. The aroma takes about 12 hours to unfold and it will last on the skin for more than a day, and if placed on any material, the scent can last for months. It can be used as a perfume, an aroma therapy and an essential oil or as an aid for the deepest meditation. It is believed that this fragrances will unlock the subconscious and allow you to go deep into your memories. The resin is also used in perfumery, Yves Saint Laurent and Amouage use Agarwood in their top perfumes as a base.
The Aquilaria tree grows up to 40 meters high and 60 centimeters in diameter. It bears sweetly-scented, snow-white flowers. These trees form resins within the heartwood that can then produce Oudh/Agarwood oils. Of the 26 species (two of them are believed to be extinct) of Aquilaria trees found in fifteen countries around the world, it is thought that 4-6 of them can produce the highly acclaimed Oudh oil resin. The trees frequently become infected with a parasite fungus or mold, Phialophora parasitica, and begin to produce an aromatic resin, in response to this attack. The results are achieved by allowing plenty of time for infection to take place, and preferably in the forest or other non-contrived settings. Eventually, this infection will cause the tree to die, and Agarwood resin can then be chipped away, in various grades of quality, and sold. For the extraction of Oudh oil, the tree has to be alive and infected, distillation has to take place within a few months of cutting for best results. Uninfected trees have no value and is used for firewood.
View countries where different types of Aquilaria trees can be found here.
The lesser quality Agarwood has a whitish color and contains less resin.. They are graded, chopped, shredded, soaked, distilled, dried, and rolled into incense sticks. The uninfected Agarwood has no scented value. Oud oil has an eccentric, as well as, acquired fragrance. It is regarded as a very sophisticated and highly prized Oudh fragrance in the Arab world.
The fragrance oil business is a complex, multi-faceted business. Many people are involved in the making of one good oil. You, the consumer, benefit from the hundreds of pages of research and countless hours of testing. Fragrance oils open up a whole new world for soap and toiletry makers; scents that you have never dreamed of are out there for you to use and enjoy. You’ll be delighted with the world of fragrance out there when you start to explore.
The name of Oudh (Agarwood) in different cultures:
It is known as Oudh and Dehnal Oudh in the Middle Eastern countries such as United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar & Bahrain; Bakhoor in Kuwait.
Chén-xīang in Chinese; “trầm hương” in Vietnamese, and Jin-koh in Japanese; most of these mean “sinking incense” and allude to Oudh’s high density.
In Europe it was referred to as Lignum aquila (Eagle-wood) or Agilawood because of the similarity in sound of Agila to Gaharu. Many European branded perfume companies are using Agar wood extract oil to boost the quality of their own made perfumes.
Another name is Lignum aloes or Aloeswood. The Aloes of the Old Testament and of the Hebrew Bible (ahalim in Hebrew) are believed to be Agarwood from Aquilaria Malaccensis.
In Tibetan it is known as a-ga-ru. There are several varieties used in Tibetan Medicine: unique eaglewood: ar-ba-zhig; yellow eaglewood: a-ga-ru ser-po, white eaglewood: ar-skya, and black eaglewood: ar-nag.
In Assamese it is called as “Pgoru”.
The Indonesian, Malaysia & Brunei name is “Gaharu”.
In Papua New Guinea it is called “Ghara”.
In Bangladesh & Hindi (India), it is known as “Agar”, which is originally Sanskrit based.
In Thai it is known as “Mai Kritsana or Mai Hom”.
In Laos it is known as “Mai Ketsana”.
Oudh/Agarwood Oil Around the World
The West
Aloeswood/Oudh oil is slowly making an appearance in The West where the majority of people do not know about this natural gift of nature.
Middle East
The Agarwood oil termed as ‘Oudh’ in the Middle East is highly valued for its fragrance, it can go upto astonishingly high prices due to the level of demand that exists. It is worn on clothes and skin, mainly used by men during special occasions such as Eid and Friday prayers.
Oman
One of the most prized fragrance items in Oman is Oud, which is imported from Cambodia, India and Malaysia. It is a musky-smelling wood which may be burned or from which oil can be extracted. It is very expensive and only used on important occasions such as Eid, weddings, funerals and to celebrate the birth of a child. The Oudh oil will often be given as part of a woman’s dowry, together with gold and other gifts.
Bahrain
Oudh is considered as a supreme fragrance in the Gulf countries. In Bahrain, Oudh is burned as a mark of respect and hospitality and is a traditional gesture of welcoming and honoring guests. In fact, Oudh is considered an important feature at most social occasions.
Japan
The wood is carved as settings for precious stones and Aloeswood is an excellent wood for sculptures and carvings In Japan, Aloeswood is used in a complex fragrance guessing game called koh-do, part of the ceremonial appreciation of incense adopted from the Chinese,, who still use the expression wenxiang, “listening to the incense.” Japanese Shamans use Aloeswood Oils for its psychoactive properties. They believe enhances mental clarity and opens the third eye as well as all of the upper charkas
China
There are many stories about Aloeswood being buried under the ground for hundreds of years. This legend comes from an old Chinese book on incense. Oudh oil is prized in China for its psychoactive properties.
Buddhist
Used chiefly for Incense for the Mind – during meditation, Agarwood is highly psychoactive. It is used for spiritual journey, enlightenment, clarity and grounding. Buddhists use it for transmutation of ignorance Tibetan Monks Tibetan monks use it to bring energy to the center and calm the mind and spirit.
Sufis
The Sufis use Agarwood oil in their esoteric ceremonies
Practitioners Around the World
It is recommended by experienced practitioners for providing motivation and devotion to meditation. It is supposed to facilitate communication with the transcendent, refreshes the mind and body, drives away evil spirits, takes away exhaustion, removes impurities, expels negative energies, brings alertness, calms the nervous system, relieves anxiety, invokes a sense of strength and peace, creating natural order in your sacred living areas, enhances cerebral functioning, remedies nervous disorders such as neurosis, obsessive behaviour, etc., and it is a companion in solitude.
Chinese, Tibetan, Ayurvedic and Unanai physicians have all used Agarwood in their practice to treat various diseases as well as mental illness.
Agarwood Medicinal Uses
Stimulant, tonic, nausea, nerves, regurgitation, weakness in the elderly, aphrodisiac, diuretic, relieves epilepsy, antimicrobial, carminative (gas), smallpox, rheumatism, illness during and after childbirth, relieves spasms in digestive and respiratory systems, shortness of breath, chills, general pains, lowers fever, asthma, cancer, colic, digestive and bronchial complaints, abdominal pain, diarrhea, 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.
Insomnia – Valerian is a natural component of Agarwood Resin and functions to relieve insomnia and calm the nervous system before sleep, allowing one to have a deeper, longer sleep. Inhale the fragrance deeply and it will help you sleep. In some Arab cultures this is the norm before going to sleep.
Agarwood is the dark, resinous heartwood that forms in the Aquilaria tree. The Aquilaria tree is a large, evergreen tree native to Tropical Monsoon Asia which produces a dark aromatic resin in response to its tropical environment. Prior to formation of the fragrant resin, the heartwood is relatively light and pale in color. The rich resin imbued wood is called Agarwood, Oud or Oudh. Agarwood is also known throughout the world as Gaharu, Jinko, Aloeswood and Eagleswood. Traded and treasured for centuries, Oud oil and chips have been highly revered in Islamic culture, especially amongst Sufis or the mystics of Islam.
How is Oud oil made?
The Agarwood is harvested in the jungles or plantations and brought to the distillers. Prior to distillation, some of the wood is separated and sold as chips for burning as incense. The remaining resinous wood is distilled into Oud oil or Agarwood oil. To facilitate extraction of the oil, the wood is soaked in water prior to the distillation process. Two distillation techniques are common. Forced steam distillation is used in Indonesia, while hydro-distillation is more common in Indian, Cambodia and Thailand. These methods leave their distinct mark on the Oud oil. Unlike perfumes or Attars such as Amber perfume, Arabian perfume, Arabic perfume, Islamic perfume or essential oils such as Jasmine oil,, Frankincense oil, Arabian oil, Egyptian musk oil, our Oud oil is 100% pure Agarwood oil and is not blended with other oil perfumes. One should not be confused with products being sold as Arabian Oud since the Aquilaria tree does not grow in the Arabian Peninsula. All Oudh oil sold in the Arabic world is imported by wholesale perfume oil companies from Tropical Monsoon Asia.
The Aquilaria Tree
This is where the process begins – with the Aquilaria tree, in the vicinity of the Assam region. These mature evergreen or agarwood trees need no artificial inoculation. From these mature trees we will get our agarwood chips and oud oil.
The Agarwood Artisan
This artisan is meticulously sorting through the unprocessed distillery chips as he removes the unusable wood, leaving only the sinking-grade resinous agarwood for incense and for the distillation degs to become oud oil.
Ready-to-be-Processed Oud Chips
These true craftsmen will soak the agarwood chips until they are ready to be put in the degs for distillation.. This is a true art which will result in various essences of the pure oudh oil.
The Distillation Process
After soaking, the distillery chips are transferred to the degs where the distillation will inevitably begin. As you can see, there are four degs pictured to carry out this important step in the process of making oud oil.
The Final Step
After the completion of the distillation process the oud oil is kept in open sunlight to evaporate any excess moisture within the Oudh oil. This ancient ancestral method of distillation has been passed down from father to son for generations, producing true oud oil ‘legends’, indeed.
Own A Legend
Now go ahead and treat yourself to one or more of these fine oud oils and agarwood chips, from www.vnagar.org!
Vietnam Agarwood 