Sandalwood Essential Oil

Sandalwood is one of the most popularly used essential oils all over the world. Santalum album is the botanical name for sandalwood. Sandalwood has made its presence felt in the perfumery industry due to its excellent fragrance. Sandalwood has not only established a niche for itself in the arena of perfume making, but also is extensively used in Tibetian, Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine due to its therapeutic benefits. It is regarded as an aphrodisiac and a diuretic. It also has anti inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Sandalwood is an evergreen tree that boasts of its gorgeous small purple flowers. It is predominantly grown in Southern Tropical Asia. It performs the role of a parasite, as it obtains the nutrients required for its growth from other tree species. Extracting oil from the sandalwood plant is not easy, as it the plant takes a minimum of 30 years to mature. The aroma of sandalwood is sweet, delicate, balsamic and floral. The consistency of sandalwood varies between medium and thick. The color of sandalwood essential oil is usually clear with a yellowish touch. The method employed for oil extraction is steam distillation. Talking about the uses of sandalwood essential oil, it is extremely beneficial in curing bronchitis, depression, stretch marks, leucorrhea, scars, laryngitis etc. It is also considered valuable in meditative yoga practices. Going in for a sandalwood oil massage serves as a great stress buster. The fragrance of sandalwood usually lasts for quite a longer period of time.