The Oud (Agarwood Oil)

Agarwood (botanical name:Aquillaria agollocha) is one of the precious among all communities. In ancient time, it was used for making Incense Sticks, so in Hindi incense still is called "Agar Batti". Here Agar - Agarwood Dust and Batti - Burning Stick. Some newcomers of essential oils business think why it is so costly, costing around $ 25000 USD /liter . The reason is simple, low yield from plant material, typical and labor intensive process of extraction and less demand in the market. These are all very few reasons of high costing of Agarwood Oil.

Process is quite typical, the people of Upper Assam Region, India go to the far peaks of mountains (Himalayas) for finding the good trees after that put a insect all over the trees which make the tree fungicide. Here the fungicide area will provide the mystical fragrance of Agarwood. Now, the expert workers collect those cultivated trees, extract the fungicide area using special knives, and then collect the fungicidal wood of Agarwood and further put it into a water tank for 4- 6 months. During this period, there are a lot of fungi arrive on the tank and now the wood become proper mature for extraction of essential oils.

After distillation, producer receive the good quality Agarwood oil with having the great smell of Agarwood Oil or Oud. Above is the process also used to develop several grades of Agarwood oil, It means, the rest wood in which the fingi not worked due to lack of time, also used for distillation and get some qualities of Agarwood oil called "Boya" and "Kunda" . Some supplier named it like Grade A for Superior quality Agarwood oil, Grade B for Kunda and Grade C for Boya. The Boya quality Agarwood Oil is quite thick and hard to pour,but if we put it into hot water , It will melt and take the property of Grade A. The Boya and Kunda is highly used in natural perfumery because it will blend with any essential oil.

One of the major pitfall is its cost , in result it is becoming one of most adulterated essential oil of the world. People of trading areas are selling it in $ 500 to $ 1500 USD /liter range which is impossible to produce naturally. Buyer should try to get more information from seller to get the idea whether he/she is selling the natural Agarwood or not. Natural Agarwood will cost around $ 25000 USD /liter in India and due to its scarcity , one should buy it only from producer , not from trader. Producer can only provide the real Agarwood oil (Aquillaria agollocha) from Assam.

Agarwood Oil - Grade A , have a long lasting property. If we put 1 drop of Agarwood on foreskin near right hand's elbow and smell it after 24 hours, one will be astonished as there is still smelling pure agarwood. It is basically used in Natural Perfumery for long lasting and for increase weight in Natural Perfume.

There are some more reasons why it is becoming more rare as Assam, India is having some intruders trouble, some tribes don't want Non Assamese persons over there but as soon as the time will go, everything will be normalize.

 Oud Source

Oud is a resinous substance occurring in trees of the genus Aquilaria (a member of the Thymelaeceae family), a fast-growing forest tree which can be found growing from the foothills of the Himalayas to the rain forests of Papua New Guinea. Outside its native habitat, agarwood is best known in the Near East and Japan.

  1. The most important resin-producing species of Aquilaria are A. agollocha, A. malaccensis and A. crassna.
  2. A. malaccensis is protected worldwide under the (CITES) convention. A. crassna is listed as an endangered species by the Vietnamese Government.

Oud has been used for centuries as incense, for medicinal purposes and in perfumery.

First-grade agarwood is one of the most expensive natural raw materials in the world, with prices in consumer countries ranging from a few dollars per kilogram for very low quality material to more than US$30 000 per kilogram for top quality wood. Agarwood oil fetches similarly high prices.

(Source: Agarwood “Wood of Gods” International Conference.)

 Oudh/Agarwood Oil Around the World

“Gaharu is the most important aromatic substance on earth. Remedied for neurous disorder such as neurosis, obsessive behavior and exhaustion”.

The odour of agarwood is complex and pleasing, with few or no similar natural analogues.

According to studies, the use of biotechnological methods had produced a substance to preserve the note as a LARD substitute.

Morover, this methods also found that there is a significant relation between certain note and one's psychological feeling.

 One of oud oil available on market

 Oman

One of the most prized fragrance items in Oman is oudh, which is imported from Cambodia, India and Malaysia. It is a musky-smelling wood which may be burned or from which oil can be extracted. It is very expensive and only used on important occasions such as Eid, weddings, funerals and to celebrate the birth of a child. The oudh oil will often be given as part of a woman's dowry, together with gold and other gifts. 

 1 tola of pure oud.

 The West

Aloeswood/Oudh oil is slowly making an appearance in The West where the majority of people do not know about this natural gift of nature. 

Middle East

The Aloeswood oil termed as 'Oudh' in the Middle East is highly valued for its fragrance, it can go upto astonishingly high prices due to the level of demand that exists. It is worn on clothes and skin, mainly used by men during special occasions such as Eid and Friday prayers. 

 Japan

The wood is carved as settings for precious stones and Aloeswood is an excellent wood for sculptures and carvings In Japan, Aloeswood is used in a complex fragrance guessing game called koh-do, part of the ceremonial appreciation of incense adopted from the Chinese, who still use the expression wenxiang, "listening to the incense." Japanese Shamans use Aloeswood Oils for its psychoactive properties. They believe enhances mental clarity and opens the third eye as well as all of the upper charkas

China

There are many stories about Aloeswood being buried under the ground for hundreds of years. This legend comes from an old Chinese book on incense. Aloeswood oil is prized in China for its psychoactive properties.

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Buddhist

Used chiefly for Incense for the Mind - during meditation, Agarwood is highly psychoactive. It is used for spiritual journey, enlightenment, clarity and grounding. Buddhists use it for transmutation of ignorance

Tibetan Monks

Tibetan monks use it to bring energy to the center and calm the mind and spirit.

Sufis

The Sufis use Agarwood oil in their esoteric ceremonies

Practitioners Around the World

It is recommended by experienced practitioners for providing motivation and devotion to meditation. It is supposed to facilitate communication with the transcendent, refreshes the mind and body, drives away evil spirits, takes away exhaustion, removes impurities, expels negative energies, brings alertness, calms the nervous system, relieves anxiety, invokes a sense of strength and peace, creating natural order in your sacred living areas, enhances cerebral functioning, remedies nervous disorders such as neurosis, obsessive behaviour, etc., and it is a companion in solitude. 

Chinese, Tibetan, Ayurvedic and Unanai physicians have all used Agarwood in their practice to treat various diseases as well as mental illness.

Aloeswood Medicinal Uses

Stimulant, tonic, nausea, nerves, regurgitation, weakness in the elderly, aphrodisiac, diuretic, relieves epilepsy, antimicrobial, carminative (gas), smallpox, rheumatism, illness during and after childbirth, relieves spasms in digestive and respiratory systems, shortness of breath, chills, general pains, lowers fever, asthma, cancer, colic, digestive and bronchial complaints, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, cirrhosis of the liver and as a director or focuser for other medicines. It has also been used as a treatment for lung and stomach tumours.