My Knowledge Hunt: SANDALWOOD PLANT : Know The Amazing Health Benefits It Can Offer!

Scientific Name : Santalum album

Family : Santalaceae

Regional Name : Chandan ( चंदन )

CLASSIFICATION:

Kingdom	Plantae
Phylum	Tracheophyta
Class	Magnoliopsida
Order	Santalales
Family	Santalaceae

Sandalwood is obtained from heartwood of Santalum album belonging to family 'santalaceae'.

GEOGRAPHICAL SOURCE:

The plant is found in India and Malaysia. Sandalwood tree is an evergreen plant of 10-12m in height. It is widely distributed in different parts of India,especially South India.

The plant bear beautiful flowers and fruits. Generally the tree of more than 25 years old age is normally selected for collection of volatile oil. volatile oil is present in all parts of sandalwood plant but it is concentrated heartwood region of plant.

MACROSCOPIC CHARACTERS:

  The matured of fully grown plant is uprooted and the bark from the stem and root is removed along with the sapwood. The heartwood is yellowish or pale red in colour. The heart wood is cut into small pieces. The processed by stem distillation process. It contains 2.5% volatile oil which is colourless to pale yellow in coloured viscid liquid.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:

  The oil of sandalwood contains about 95% of 2 isomeric sesquiturpene alcohol, they are α-santalol and ß-santalol
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USES:

1. Skin Care Benefits Of Sandalwood Powder

Prevents and cures pimples
Reduces wrinkles and signs of aging
Heals dry skin
Enhances skin brightness
Removes blemishes
Exfoliates the skin

2. Traditional/Ethnobotanical uses

Sandalwood oil has a warm, woody odor. Hence,it is commonly used as a fragrance in soaps, incense, perfumes, and cosmetics. It is also used as a flavor for foods and beverages. The wood os sandalwood is dense, thus it has been greatly valued for carving purpose.

In traditional medicinal methods, sandalwood oil has been used as an antiseptic and astringent. It is also used for the treatment of stomachache, headache, and urinary and genital disorders.

In India, the emulsion, essential oil, or paste of sandalwood is used in the treatment of eruptive and inflammatory skin diseases. The leaves and bark of sandalwood were used by early Hawaiians to treat lice, dandruff, sexually transmitted diseases, and skin inflammation.