Abstract

WHITE SANDAL (SANTALUM ALBUM L.), A PRECIOUS MEDICINAL AND TIMBER YIELDING PLANT: A SHORT REVIEW

Jagatpati Tah*

ABSTRACT

Its wood known commercially as ‘East Indian Sandalwood’ and essential oil from it as ‘East Indian Sandalwood Oil’ are among the oldest known perfumery materials. Both wood and oil are used in incense, perfumes and in medicine and are of great commercial importance. Sandalwood being closely grained and amenable to carrying, is some of the finest woods for the purpose. It is used for making idols, boxes and other curios of exquisite beauty (Srinivasan et al, 1992). Power of heartwood upon steam distillation yields the East Indian Sandalwood oil which is rated very high for its sweet fragrant, persistent, spicy, warm, woody note, non-varying composition and fixative property. Apart from it importance as a supremely satisfying source of fragrance, it finds use in medicine as an antiseptic, antipyretic, antiscabietic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant and for treatment of bronchitis, dysuris, gonorrhea and urinary infections [Das, 2013; Das and Tah, 2013; Das and Tah, 2014; Handa et al., 1951; Okasaki and Oshima, 1953; Winter, 1958; Dastur, 1962; Jain, 1968]. However, its use as a base of fragrance has far outweighed its use in medicine. Indian Sandalwood is highly valued for its fragrant heartwood, which consists of the highest oil (upto 6%) as well as santalol (α & β 90 %) contents in oil as compared to other species of the genus Santalum (Srinivasan et al,1992). Sandalwood oil is used in world – class perfumes due to its excellent fixative properties & attars in Indian perfumes (Anonymous, 1972).

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