Indian Sandalwood

Nine species of evergreen tress and shrubs belong to this genus, which occurs in SE Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Sandalwoods are semi-parasitic, deriving some food from photosynthesis but relying on a host plant, via sucker roots, for water and minerals. It was reported in a 19th-century gardening manual that Santalum album was being grown successfully at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in "very sandy loam", but trees are now seldom seen outside the tropics. Various species have a long history or exploitation for their fragrant wood; S. fernandezianum, a native of the Juan Fernandez Islands in the South Pacific, was recorded as rare by 1740 and extinct by 1916. Sandalwood has been used as medicine, incense, and perfume in the East for 4000 years, with especial importance in Hindu devotional practices. Traditionally, the wood is burned at Buddhist funerals and is ground to make a Hindu caste marks. Sandalwood reached Europe in the 1880s and soon became popular in perfumery. It takes at lease 20-40 years for sandalwood trees to develop sufficient heartwood for oil extraction. They are now cultivated in a semi-wild state alongside the natural host. All parts are rich in volatile oil: 6 percent of the root, 4 percent of leaves, 5 percent of heartwood, and 2 percent of bark. The oil contains at least 90 percent sesquiterpene alcohols, known as "santalols". Dry, rocky areas give high yields and quality. Sandalwood oil is often adulterated with castor oil and oil of cedar; oil may be substituted from the related S. spicatum (West Australian sandalwood) or from Amyris balsamifera (West Indian Sandalwood), a member of the Rutaceae family. Various parts of S. lanceolatum (plumbush), a small tree or shrub common on rocky ground in most of Australia, are used in Aboriginal medicine for sores, boils, itching, gonorrhea, constipation, and rheumatism; the tree contains a bactericidal volatile oil.

Small, graceful tree with fragrant wood and ovate to lanceolate leaves, to 8cm (3in) long. Panicles of dull yellow to maroon flowers are followed by fleshy, dark red to black fruits, 1cm (½in) long.

Common Name:	Indian Sandalwood
Other Names:	White Sandalwood
Botanical Name:	Santalum album
Genus:	Santalum
Family:	Santalaceae
Native Location:	Probably native to coastal Malaysia and Indonesia
Cultivation:	Well-drained, moist, fertile soil in partial shade.
Propagation:	By seed sown when ripe, pre-soaked in a 1:9 solution of bleach, sown in vermiculite at 15-21°C (59-70°F). Seedlings are planted alongside host when roots reach 4cm (1½in) long.
Harvest:	Trees over 50 years ols are felled for heartwood. Wood is dried for use in decoctions, liquid extracts, powders, and tinctures. Oil is pressed or extracted from heartwood and roots.
Height:	5-10m (15-30ft)
Width:	3m (10ft)
Hardiness:	Min. 15°C (59°F)
Parts Used:	Heartwood, roots, oil.
Properties:	An aromatic, bittersweet, astringent herb that cools the body, calms the mind, relieves spasms, and improved digestion. It has diuretic, analgesis, and antiseptic effects.
Medicinal Uses:	Internally for genito-urinary disorders, fever, sunstroke, digestive problems, and abdominal pain. Externally for skin complaints.
Culinary Uses:	Essence is used to flavor syrups and Indian milk desserts.
Economic Uses:	Sapwood is used for carved objects. Ground wood provides a Hindu caste-mark pigment. Oil is used in perfumery, soaps, body oils, food flavorings, and incense.
Bibliography:	Encylopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown Copyright ©: 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited pg 359