I hope you’ve been enjoying the series of posts I did about Rose essential oil.

If you asked me to choose my favourite single essential oil, I couldn’t. And that’s because it would be a perfect tie between Rose oil, and Sacred Sandalwood oil.

Just like Rose oil, Sacred Sandalwood oil has its roots in ancient times, as well as being the focus of a lot of exciting scientific research in today’s era. It’s an oil with many diverse uses.

I love putting Sacred Sandalwood on my cheeks and under my nose for a restful night’s sleep. It also has the unique ability to keep our mind both calm, and perfectly focussed – making it the ideal essential oil for any type of meditation or spiritual practice.

I love how every plant has a unique story, In the next few posts, I want to share with you the mystery and magic behind Sacred Sandalwood oil, the “Tree of Kings”, as well as its many uses. Enjoy!!!

Sacred Sandalwood – the Tree of Kings

Because trees can be known by many different names, their genus and species name is what identifies them.

Santalum album is sold through Young Living under the name “Sacred Sandalwood oil”. This is true Indian Sandalwood oil, sometimes called White Sandalwood or “Old Mountain Sandalwood”.

Being one of the most coveted oils in history, it earns the same respect we give to Frankincense oil…and it’s not surprising that Santalum album was also one of Cleopatra’s favourite oils.

In ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic practices, Indian Sandalwood was used for everything from calming and relaxing the body, to elevating one’s consciousness to enlightenment.

It became the ideal incense to burn during meditation and prayer, because it calms the mind, at the same time allows it to remain alert. That’s a very unusual quality.

Indian Sandalwood is also considered a sacred offering – a tool for carrying prayers to the Divine, and for creating a gateway between Heaven and Earth. No King could be a King without it!!!

No wonder it was prized like jade or gold and held in special treasuries, and said to elevate its wearer to a Godly status.

“Anyone who was anyone had to possess some and to use it,” says historian James McHugh in his book, Sandalwood and Carrion: Smell in Indian Religion and Culture.

“Its wood, which was often crafted into beads [like those pictured here], was an essential adornment both for important people and for the Gods in temples.”

In ancient Egypt, Sandalwood oil was also used in burning rituals dedicated to their gods. Hindu statues were decorated with Sandalwood paste. And the very first known statue of Buddha from the 6th Century BC was carved out of Indian Sandalwood’s sweetly fragrant wood.

In fact, when Buddha died in 543 BC, his body was cremated on Sandalwood. Even today, Indians add Sandalwood to their funeral pyres, believing that its fragrant smoke carries the Soul to its next life.

Yet Indian Sandalwood is equally as prized amidst modern French perfumers because of its luscious deep fragrance. Any good perfume will comprise a triangle of aromas. The “top notes” are what you smell first, and these are the fruitier fragrances. The middle notes are the florals. And then you have the base notes, of which Sandalwood is one. The middle and top notes stick to the Sandalwood so that the fragrance lasts the whole day. In fact it’s very much like appreciating a good wine.

Teetering on the Brink of Extinction

Back in 1792, the Sultan of Mysore declared Indian Sandalwood a Royal tree, meaning it could not be grown by ordinary people. However the Karnataka Forest Act changed in the early 2000’s. Now every occupant or holder of land is legally entitled to the sandalwood trees on his land.

However, with the gap between supply and global demand becoming larger and larger, prices have naturally surged, and a black market worth millions of dollars was born. This black

market worth millions of dollars was born. This black market has been active for decades – not only in India, but throughout Asia.

It’s estimated that in 2012 more than 50% (and possibly as much as 90%) of Indian Sandalwood was coming from illegally harvested wood.

Adulterated Indian Sandalwood is sold in bulk through black markets, with no guarantee of purity or authenticity. In fact, many products sold as Indian Sandalwood are in fact synthetic.

Ten years ago, the “Tree of Kings” was teetering on the brink of extinction, being one of the most endangered plant species in the world. But fortunately cultivation of Indian Sandalwood has changed the conservation picture significantly. India now has substantial plantations of Santalum album under cultivation, and so does Australia.

Kununurra in Western Australia is one of the hubs of the true Indian Sandalwood plantations, with seeds sourced from Mysore in India. This is not to be confused with the Australian Sandalwood species (Santalum spicatum), which is also grown extensively in Western Australia.

This is a wonderful opportunity to encourage conservation of this species through cultivation. The steady supply has the ability to ease pressure on the Indian Sandalwood trade, helping to mitigate the devastating effects of smuggling.

How Indian Sandalwood oil is produced

Santalum album is a very unique tree. Like the mistletoe plant, it’s hemi-parasitic.

It contains chlorophyll and can therefore photosynthesise for itself, yet it also forms specialised connections with the roots of host plants from which it obtains water and nutrients.

Because of this, it needs a precise ecosystem of host plants in order to thrive.

It builds symbiotic relationships with these host trees throughout its slow-growing life, and requires careful management to ensure it receives enough sunlight.

It does not reproduce easily, and each tree must be nurtured and protected over its 15 year cultivation cycle in order to develop the rich, oil-bearing heartwood which delivers the deep, woody aroma of the oil.

Producing a high quality oil requires years of study and a master craftsman. A mistake at any stage can compromise the end product.

With Sandalwood, you have to dry the wood out for the correct amount of time, and then carefully remove the bark and sapwood, leaving only the heartwood (which is where the best oil comes from). Interestingly, the wood harvested from the base of the tree has different properties to the wood from the upper parts of the tree….and in fact, the stump itself can contain up to 30% of the total oil in the tree.

Both the stump and the aerial parts of the tree are used in the production of Sandalwood oil, however because of this variation in properties between the two parts of the plant, the chips are typically analysed and then mixed in order to achieve a standard product.

The wood chips are then steam distilled for four days, in order to obtain the highest quality essential oil.

No chemicals are used at any stage in production, in order to achieve a product of outstanding purity and meet Young Living’s stringent requirements.

In Buddhist tradition, the “Life of the Tree”

(ie. its upbringing) is said to determine the energy present in the wood.

We could extrapolate that statement to the essential oil as well. “It’s very important for Sandalwood not be mistreated,” says Jingxi (净西), a practicing Buddhist who lives in Xiamen, China. Trees that have been illegally harvested are considered tainted.

Here’s How to Order

If you already have your own wholesale account with Young Living, you can order through the shopping cart on your virtual office, or via phone or live chat with your local Young Living office.

If you already have your own wholesale account with Young Living, you can order through the shopping cart on your virtual

office, or via phone or live chat with your local Young Living office. You will need their member number when you place your first order.

If you have lost touch with them, or need any other assistance, we are here to help. Simply click on the button below, and we’ll be in touch to assist you and help answer your questions.