SANDAL WOOD

Chemical properties

East Indian sandalwood is a tall evergreen tree native to southern India. It grows wild or cultivated in India and throughout Malaysia. East Indian sandalwood should not be confused with Amyns balsamifera, or West Indian sandalwood, a small tree growing in the woods and forests of Haiti and Jamaica. Australian sandalwood is a small shrub native specifically to southern and western Australia. The East Indian sandalwood is an evergreen tree that grows to 8 to 12 m in height. Only the hard core of the wood and the roots of East Indian sandalwood undergo distillation after removal of the bark and of the soft, external woody layer, whereas the whole trunk, branches and roots of West Indian sandalwood are used for distillation. The part used is the wood from the trunk and roots. White sandalwood has a strong, persistent, warm, woody odor.

Composition

Hydroxyproline-containing protein from soluble extracts of the leaves of sandalwood has been isolated and characterized.