what is sandalwood

Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus Santalum, which are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods and is used in various applications, including perfumes, cosmetics, and incense. The sandalwood tree is indigenous to the tropical belt of peninsular India, the Malay Archipelago, and northern Australia. Sandalwood trees are hemi-parasitic, meaning they can only grow when attached to a suitable host tree, which they rely on for water and nutrients. The roots, as well as the trunk, are valuable, so a sandalwood tree is usually uprooted when it comes time for harvest, with additional processes to separate the sandalwood from the wood of its host tree. Sandalwood has been revered for its medicinal and aromatic properties for thousands of years, stretching back to a time of ancient kings and cultures. In traditional medicine, sandalwood oil has been used as an antiseptic and astringent, and for the treatment of headache, stomachache, and urinary and genital disorders. Sandalwood oil has many traditional uses, including managing the common cold, urinary tract infections, liver and gallbladder problems, digestive problems, muscle problems, mental disorders, hemorrhoids, and scabies. However, most of its traditional uses haven’t been scientifically tested.