Agarwood Totally Explained

Everything about Agarwood totally explained

ť This article is about the resinous heartwood from Aquilaria trees. For the trees which produce agarwood, see Aquilaria.

Agarwood or just Agar is the resinous heartwood from Aquilaria trees, large evergreens native to southeast Asia. The trees occasionally become infected with mold and begin to produce an aromatic resin in response to this attack. As the infection grows, it results in a very rich, dark resin within the heartwood. It is this precious resinous wood that's treasured around the world.
The resin is commonly called Gaharu, Jinko, Aloeswood, Agarwood or Oud and is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, thus it's used for incense and perfumes.
One of the reasons for the relative rarity and high cost of agarwood is the depletion of the wild resource. Since 1995 Aquilaria malaccensis, the primary source, has been listed in Appendix II by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. In 2004 all Aquilaria species were listed in Appendix II; however, a number of countries have outstanding reservations regarding that listing. Xuanzang's travelouges and the Harshacharita, written in 7th century A.D. in Northern India mentions use of Agarwood products such as 'Xasipat' (writing-material) and 'aloe-oil' in ancient Assam (Kamarupa). The tradition of making writing-materials from its bark still exist in Assam.

Etymology

Agarwood is known under many names in different cultures:

It is known as Chén-xīang in Chinese and Jin-koh in Japanese, both meaning "sinking incense" and alluding to its high density.
Both agarwood and its resin distillate/extracts are known as Oud in Arabic (literally wood) and used to describe agarwood in nations and areas of Islamic faith. Western perfumers may also use agarwood essential oil under the name "oud" or "oude".
In Europe it was referred to as Lignum aquila (eagle-wood) or Agilawood, because of the similarity in sound of agila to gaharu
Another name is Lignum aloes or Aloeswood. This is potentially confusing, since a genus Aloe exists (unrelated), which has medicinal uses, . However, the Aloes of the Old Testament (Num. 24:6; Ps. 45:8; Prov. 7:17; and Cant. 4:14) and of the Hebrew Bible (ahalim in Hebrew) are believed to be agarwood from Aquilaria malaccensis.
In Assamese it's called as "ogoru".
The Indonesian and Malay name is "gaharu".
In New Guinea it's called "ghara".
In Vietnamese, it's known as trầm hương.
In Hindi (India), it's known as "agar", which is originally Sanskrit based.
In Laos it's known as "Mai Ketsana".

Formation

There are fifteen species in of the Aquilaria genus and eight are known to produce agarwood. In theory agarwood can be produced from all members; however, until recently it was primarily produced from A. malaccensis. A. agallocha and A. secundaria are synonyms for A. malaccensis., a dematiaceous (dark-walled) fungus. As a response, the tree produces a resin high in volatile organic compounds that aids in suppressing or retarding the fungal growth. While the unaffected wood of the tree is relatively light in colour, the resin dramatically increases the mass and density of the affected wood, changing its colour from a pale beige to dark brown or black. In natural forest only about 7% of the trees are infected by the fungus. A common method in artificial forestry is to inoculate all the trees with the fungus.
High quality resin comes from a tree's natural immune response to a fungal attack. It is commonly known as agarwood #1 (first quality). An inferior resin is created using forced methods where aquilaria trees are deliberately wounded, leaving them more susceptible to a fungal attack. This is commonly called agarwood #2.

Trade and use

Singapore serves as an important trading centre for agarwood products, because of its location and it economic position in Southeast Asia.
   Agarwood is used in Arab countries (especially in the Persian Gulf) as incense. In Japan, it's used in Kōdō or "incense ceremony" along with Sandalwood. Agarwood (Aloeswood) was used by the Ancient Egyptians for embalming dead bodies. Agarwood extract is rarely used in western perfumery due to its prohibitive price.
   Due to its rarity and the high demand for it, agarwood and agarwood extracts bring high prices. Indiscriminate cutting of trees of the relevant species in the hope of finding agarwood has resulted in depletion of wild trees. One species has been CITES-listed. Projects are currently underway in some countries in southeast Asia to infect cultivated Aquilaria trees artificially to produce agarwood in a sustainable manner.
   Apart from the resin and the aloe-oil, historically in Assam, the bark of the Agarwood has been also in use for making a flat material (Xasipat/ Sanchipat) for writing. Currently, export oriented commercial cultivation of Agarwood is being carried out in the district of Nagaon in Central Assam.
   In the past, Malaysia (formerly Malaya) was a popular spot for traders to seek perfumes. The native perfumes produced from real woods and petals from Malaya successfully attracted traders from all over the world, especially from Portugal and Britain. However, the popularity of agarwood in Malaysia faded after the colonization of Malacca.
   Today, gaharu (Malay word for agarwood) is becoming more popular in Malaysia. This is due to a movement by En Sulaiman Bin Doss Mohammed Khan, originating in Muar Johor, to create awareness of the precious sources of agarwood in Malaysia. This kind of awareness is vital as Malaysia is rich in agarwood, deep in the jungles, mainly in Terengganu and Pahang. The government of Malaysia recently financed some agencies to continue research and development of gaharu. The goal is also to increase the trade of agarwood in Malaysia to levels such as those during the Malacca Sultanate centuries ago.

Odour profile

A natural perfume oil obtained by CO₂ extraction from agarwood retains the odour of "true" agarwood: a cepes (mushroom) and carrot seed accord, which can be roughly approximated by combining ambergris, jasmine, earth and wood notes. Lightly infected wood, sometimes cultivated, produces an inferior oil with a vetiver / sandalwood / patchouli character.

Further Information

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