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Aloeswood | | Name : | Aloeswood | | Synonyms : | Aloes Wood, Agarwood, Eaglewood, Agilawood, Gaharu, Oud | | Description : | Please see http://www.magnifincense.com for detailed information.
Aloeswood (also known as agarwood, eaglewood, agilawood, gaharu and oud - and jinko in Japanese for the best quality wood) is the fragrant wood of the Aquilaria tree, which is native to Southeast Asia and northern India.
Encyclopedia.com describes 'aloes' as 'a biblical name for an aromatic substance of various uses, mentioned in connection with myrrh and spices and thought to be the fragrant wood of the modern aloeswood (also called eaglewood, agalloch, or agilawood), an Aquilaria native to Asia. In the East the aloeswood has been valued for medicinal purposes, as an incense, and for the beautiful grain of its wood, which takes a high polish and was used for setting precious stones. The tree lignaloes mentioned in the Book of Numbers, sometimes thought to be the aloeswood, may have been a different plant. The aloe and the American aloe, or agave, are not to be confused with the aloes of the Scriptures.'
Aloeswood's fragrance comes from the rich resin produced by the evergreen tree when it reacts to fungal attack.
The wood - roots, trunk and branches - is harvested for its full, sweet scent, which is far superior to that of resin collected by wounding the tree, making it recognised as the very best natural incense in the world.
Some of the larger pieces of aloeswood are sought after for use as naturally interesting decorative items or to fashion sculptures that make supremely tasteful collectors' pieces. | | Uses : | In the Middle East, aloeswood, or oud, (agarwood, eaglewood, agilawood, gaharu) is burned every day as an accompaniment to prayer. Muslim worshippers also use it to apply a wholesome fragrance to their clothes before they enter the mosque. In fact, incense - mainly aloeswood - has traditionally been used so much by worshippers in the Middle East that Arabs set up trade routes just for incense. Aloeswood is also recognised for its medicinal and therapeutic properties. In China, top-quality aloeswood has traditionally been used by practitioners of traditional medicine as a psychoactive ingredient in treatments for nervous disorders and exhaustion. More recently, aloeswood - and aromatherapy generally - has become accepted by science and recognised for its medicinal and therapeutic applications in the treatment of disorders as diverse as depression and stomach ailments. During meditation, Tibetan monks use it to bring energy to the centre and calm the mind and spirit. The wood's beautiful grain has also seen it used by the peoples of the East as a setting for precious gemstones. Cosmetics producers add aloeswood extract to products such as colognes. It has even been applied as an aphrodisiac. Aloeswood is widely acknowledged to be the most important aromatic substance on Earth. |
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