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Sandalwood Santalum spp.,Santalaceae Family

Synonyms: East Indian Sandalwood, Mysore Sandalwood, White Sandalwood, Yellow Sandalwood, Australian Sandalwood, Chandana.

Parts Used: The best oil is typically produced from the heartwood of either the main trunk of the tree or the root.

Botanical Description: Indian sandalwood (Santalum album), is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 50-60 feet in height with the trunk being up to eight feet across. Sandalwood is somewhat unique in that it is parasitic, it must attach its roots to another species in order to survive. The bark is brownish gray and the leaves are medium to dark green on the top surface and lighter underneath. The flowers are pale yellow at first before turning red or purple. They are not overly showy, but attractive. They bloom February through April. The fruit is purple black when ripe, contains a single seed, and is highly desired by birds and other animals.

Australian sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) is a small tree growing 10-25 feet in height and up to 5 feet in diameter on the oldest trees. It is a parasite and most commonly attaches itself to Acacia species. The leaves are dull grayish green, opposite and lanceolate. The flowers are small, but numerous and quite attractive. The seeds are known as Quandong nuts to the locals.

There are 15-20 species of Santalum in the world—with perhaps seven having been harvested at one time or another for the wood or oil.

Origin: Santalum album is most likely native to India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Other species grow throughout the Pacific Islands to Hawaii and down to Australia and in China. Australian sandalwood is native to the drier parts of Western Australia.

Today it is harvested mainly in India, Indonesia and Australia.

Growing Conditions: Sandalwood (Santalum album) is a tropical tree that requires adequate moisture, but the roots cannot be waterlogged. It will grow in marginal soils, but grows best in at least an average soil. It does not survive fires and does not grow in grazed land. It is said that it will attach its parasitic roots to over 300 species, but it does have its favorites. Like Australian sandalwood, it likes Acacia as well as Calotropis gigantean and several species of Cassia.

Australian sandalwood grows in a very dry environment and matures more slowly than Indian sandalwood. It grows on a variety of soils and is parasitic with fewer species.

In the U.S., sandalwood could only be cultivated in Hawaii, Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.

Extraction Method: The oil comes from the steam distillation of the heartwood of the large branches, main trunk and root. A concrete and absolute are made, but not commonly sold, at this point.

Yield: The average yield is 4.5-6.5% with the root yielding the highest percentage.

Oil Characteristics: The oil is pale yellow to yellow in color and very viscous.

Aroma Profile: The top note is subtle. The middle notes are sweet, woody and animal-balsamic. The dry out is long lasting, tenacious and comparable to the middle notes.

Major Constituents: Alpha-santalol (40-50%), beta-santalol (17-27%), trans beta santalol, epi-beta santalol, cis- and trans-nuciferol. Total santalol content should be near 90%. Australian sandalwood differs in having less alpha santalol, and has two compounds—farnesol and bergamotol-like compounds—that are not found in Santalum album.

History: Few oils have a history of use as long as sandalwood. Its use goes back over 1,000 years and the aromatic wood has been used for over 4,000 years. Its Sanskrit name is Chandana, and it was the Arabs who first called it "sandal" and passed it on to the Europeans.

The Chinese were probably introduced to it by Buddhist monks from India who carried with them sandalwood incense sticks. Sandalwood sticks (eventually called joss sticks) became very common in China.

Sandalwood is, and has always been, highly prized as a carving wood. It has been traded throughout the East for this purpose.

The English demand for tea greatly expanded the sandalwood trade. The Chinese suppliers of tea would only take gold or sandalwood in trade, so the British sought out sandalwood far and wide. This was what caused the near total destruction of the sandalwood species native to Hawaii.

In Hawaii it is known as Iliaha, and the species is S. ellipticum. It is a medium-size tree that was once quite common in Hawaii. After its exploitation, the plant was nearly extinct and has never recovered on the islands to any extent.

The Australian market was opened up for the same reason, but fortunately the supply was large—and it entered the market rather late in the game—and thus survived extreme overharvesting. In the mid 1900s, it was commonly replanted in western Australia to the point where it is now actively cultivated and managed by the Australian government.

Sandalwood reached Europe only in the past couple hundred years on a large scale. It became a very popular oil and has remained so throughout the past century.

Aromatherapy Benefits: Sandalwood is calming, relaxing, centering, cooling, erotic and sensual. It is commonly used in meditation.

Clinical Studies: There have been a number of interesting clinical studies done on sandalwood. Most notable have been the studies on its impact on Herpes Simplex 1. In one study, it was shown that sandalwood, when applied early during the viruses course, would stop replication of the virus totally. (1) This was further substantiated by Jurgen Reichling in studies he performed in Germany in the past couple of years.

Sandalwood has also been shown to have a calming, relaxing and sedative effect—which is no surprise as it has been used for this purpose for a long time. (2)

Many oils have been tested and found to be effective at inhibiting the common fungus Candida spp. Sandalwood has been shown to inhibit Candida at very small concentrations. (3)

Cosmetic Uses: Due to its tenacious odor it has long been used in perfumery as a fixative. It is used in numerous skin care products for its soothing, cooling and moisturizing action. It can be used on all skin types and is especially effective for eczema, psoriasis, and for oily acne skin.

Sandalwood blends well with almost everything. It provides the base to many oils dominated more by their top or middle notes like lavender, rose, rosewood, geranium, citrus, as well as with some spicy oils like clove, cinnamon and pepper and it also blends with other base oils like vetiver and patchouli.

Safety: A very safe oil that is considered non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Regulatory Status: GRAS 182.20. FDA 121.1163

Quality Issues: Sandalwood is commonly adulterated due to its high price and supply issues. Common adulterants include Indian bastard sandal (Erthroxylum monogynum), cedarwood oil, castor oil, glycerine acetate, various odorless solvents (including diethyl phthalate, terpineol, Amyris balsamifera) and other less desirable species of sandalwood.

Tim’s Notes: To say I adore sandalwood is an understatement. I have planted it on my property in Hawaii and have sought out any native stands of it. It is a somewhat subtle, but beautiful tree and very hardy.

The oil is wonderful smelling and easy to use with other oils. Therapeutically, it is one of the most effective oils around. Due to its high viscosity, it lingers when applied—and so is easy to apply to various body parts, including toes and toenails. I will often blend it with tea tree oil to take the edge out of its somewhat overpowering scent when using it topically. Since both are good anti-fungal oils, they are a nice blend.

There has been much discussion recently about the status of sandalwood in the world. No doubt it has been overharvested to some degree in India and again in Indonesia. There is concern that it could easily become endangered in those two countries. Obviously in Hawaii, it was nearly harvested to extinction. Australia is seemingly doing an excellent job of managing their supply of S. spicatum and it may well be the long-term supplier of sandalwood oil.

References