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Sandalwood Incense

There is a great wealth of literature and poetry glorifying the incredible properties of the Sandalwood Tree. Here are some amazing facts about this most extraordinary divinity amongst trees.

Sandalwood trees are a minimum of 30 years old before they are harvested although 60 years is more normal. Sandalwood is a root parasite and extracts nutrients from the host plant by means of special formations called haustoria. It is not a single species of trees that nourishes the sandalwood but several and it is not yet fully understood what the exact conditions are that allow the tree to thrive. In creating the same conditions where Sandalwood trees are found to grow, scientists were unsuccessful in cultivating sandalwood. It grows only by its own sweet will ! It is endangered due to modernisation and strictly controlled by the Indian Government.

Today, sandalwood oil is one of the most valuable, and expensive, raw materials available in Western perfumery. It is sold only to perfumers, craftsman, and incense makers men from India at auctions under armed guard due to its high value.

It is revered all over India and used in the worship of God in ancient rituals and temples. Due to a decline in spirituality in modern times huge sandalwood source forests have been replaced by industrial rubber plantations.

One sandalwood tree in a forest makes the whole forest smell of sandalwood as the scent clings to other trees. The most valuable part of the sandalwood tree is the scented heartwood. Due to its high value sandalwood is exploited by thieves and smugglers. They have developed many ingenious means for transporting the wood to people willing to illegally traffic in this commodity. Penalties for detection of illicit trading in it are very severe.