Agarwood or eaglewood is the most expensive wood in the world. It is valued in many cultures for its distinctive fragrance, and used extensively in incense and perfumes. Agarwood is the occasional product of two to four genera in the family Thymelaeaceae, with Aquilaria agallocha and Aquilaria malaccensis the best known species. The wood is formed as a result of the tree's immune response to fungal infection. Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal sources, intended to release fragrant smoke for religious, therapeutic, or aesthetic purposes as it smolders. ... For the book Perfume by Patrick Süskind, see Perfume (book). ... Genera About 50 genera, including: Dais Daphne Dirca Drapetes Edgeworthia Gonystylus Ovidia Passerina Phaleria Pimelea Stellera Struthiola Thymelaea Thymelaeaceae is a family of flowering plants, with about 700-750 species in 50 genera. ... Aquilaria is a genus of eight species of trees in the Thymelaeaceae native to southeast Asia. ...

History

The odour of agarwood is complex and pleasing, with few or no similar natural analogues. As a result, agarwood and its essential oil gained great cultural and religious significance in ancient civilizations around the world. In as early as the 3rd century, the chronicle Nan zhou yi wu zhi written by Wa Zhen of the Eastern Wu Dynasty mentioned agarwood produced in the Rinan commandery, now Central Vietnam, and how people collected it in the mountains. An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants. ... // Overview Events 212: Constitutio Antoniniana grants citizenship to all free Roman men 212-216: Baths of Caracalla 230-232: Sassanid dynasty of Persia launches a war to reconquer lost lands in the Roman east 235-284: Crisis of the Third Century shakes Roman Empire 250-538: Kofun era, the first... Generally a chronicle (Latin chronica) is historical account of facts and events in chronological order. ... Wu was a state during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. ...

Starting in 1580 after Nguyen Hoang took control over the central provinces of modern Vietnam, he encouraged trade with other countries, specifically China and Japan. Agarwood was exported in three varieties: Calambac (Khi Nam in Vietnamese), Tram Huong (very similar but slightly harder and slightly less rare), and Eaglewood proper. A pound of Calambac bought in Hoi An for 15 taels could be sold in Nagasaki for 600 taels. The Nguyen Lords soon established a Royal Monopoly over the sale of Calambac. This monopoly helped fund the Nguyen state finances during the early years of the Nguyen rule (Li Tana, Nguyen Cochinchina, 1998, pg 79). Nguyen Hoang 1525 - 1613; ruled the southern provinces of Vietnam from 1558 - 1613. ... Japanese bridge - The symbol of Há»™i An Triều Châu Assembly Hall Há»™i An is a small town on the coast of South China Sea in central Vietnam. ... The tael (兩), PY: Liang, was part of the Chinese system of weights and currency. ... Nagasaki City Hall Mayor {{{Mayor}}} Address 〒850-8685 Nagasaki-shi, Sakura-machi 2-22 Phone number 095-825-5151 Official website: www1. ... The population of the Earth rises to about 208 million people. ... The Nguyen Lords (1558 - 1775) were a series of rulers of Southern Vietnam. ... A legal monopoly, statutory monopoly, or de jure monopoly is a monopoly that is protected by law from competition. ... The Nguyen Lords (1558 - 1775) were a series of rulers of Southern Vietnam. ...

Etymology

Agarwood is known under many names in different cultures:

• It is known as Chén-xīang (沉香) in Chinese and Jin-koh (沈香) 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 went by the name of Lignum aquila, or eagle-wood, presumably because of its appearance.
• Another name is Lignum aloes or Aloeswood. This is potentially confusing, since a genus Aloe exists (unrelated), which also has its uses, as in the "aloe" brought by Nicodemus to embalm the body of Jesus (John 19:39) which was from the genus Aloë. 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) is believed to be eaglewood from Aquilaria agallocha.
• The Indonesian name is "gaharu".
• In Vietnamese, it is known as trầm hương.
• In Hindi,(India) it is known as "agar".

The Arabic language ( ), or simply Arabic ( ), is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Islam (Arabic: ; ( ▶ (help· info)), the submission to God) is a monotheistic faith, one of the Abrahamic religions and the worlds second-largest religion. ... Species See Species The word aloe or aloes sometimes denotes an aromatic wood better known as aloeswood. ... Nicodemus (Greek: Νικόδημος) was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin, who, according to the Gospel of John, showed favour to Jesus. ... Jesus (8–2 BC/BCE to 29–36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... 11th century manuscript of the Hebrew Bible with Targum This article discusses usage of the term Hebrew Bible. For the article on the Hebrew Bible itself, see Tanakh. ... Hebrew redirects here. ...

Formation

Formation of agarwood occurs in the trunk and roots of trees that have been infected by a fungus. As a response, the tree produces a resin high in volatile organic compounds that aids in suppressing or retarding 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. Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Deuteromycota A fungus (plural fungi) is a eukaryotic organism that digests its food externally and absorbs the nutrient molecules into its cells. ... Resin of a pine Insect trapped in resin. ...

Trade and use

Singapore serves as an important trading centre for agarwood products, because of its location and it economic position in Southeast Asia. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...

Agarwood is used in Arab countries (especially in the Persian Gulf) as incense. In Japan, it is 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. The Arabs (Arabic: عرب) are an ethnic group who are predominantly speakers of the Arabic language, mainly found throughout the Middle East and North Africa. ... It has been suggested that Persian Gulf States be merged into this article or section. ... Incense is a preparation of aromatic plant matter, often with the addition of essential oils extracted from plant or animal sources, intended to release fragrant smoke for religious, therapeutic, or aesthetic purposes as it smolders. ... Kōdō (香道 - Way of Fragrance) is the Japanese art of appreciating incense, and involves using incense within a structure of codified conduct. ... The branches of a young sandalwood tree found in Hawaii Sandalwood is the wood of trees of the genus Santalum. ...

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 depletion of wild trees. A single 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. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ...

Malaya (former name of Malaysia) was long time ago a popular spot for traders to seek perfumes. The native perfumes originated from real woods and petals from Malaya was successfully attract traders from all over the world especially from Portugal and Britain. However, the popularity of agarwood in Malaysia is getting fader after Malacca has been colonized.

Today, gaharu (Malay word for agarwood)is getting popular in Malaysia. This is due to a movement made by En Sulaiman Bin Doss Mohammed Khan, originated from Muar Johor in cultivating awareness on precious sources of agarwood in Malaysia. This kind of awareness is vital as Malaysia is one of the country rich in Agarwood, deep in its thick jungle, mainly in Terengganu and Pahang. The Government of Malaysia recently finance few agencies to keep on making researches and developments on gaharu, also hopefully may bring trades of agarwood in Malaysia as glorious as it was in Malacca Sultanate ages, centuries ago.

Odor 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. Ambergris (Ambra grisea, Ambre gris, ambergrease, or grey amber) is a solid, waxy, flammable substance of a dull grey or blackish color, with the shades being variegated like marble. ... Species About 200 species, including: Jasminum angulare Jasminum angustifolium Jasminum auriculatum Jasminum azoricum Jasminum beesianum Jasminum dichotomum– Gold Coast Jasmine Jasminum floridum Jasminum fluminense– African Jasmine Jasminum fruticans Jasminum humile– Yellow Jasmine Jasminum grandiflorum Jasminum mesnyi– Primrose Jasmine Jasminum multiflorum– Star Jasmine Jasminum nitidum– Shining Jasmine Jasminum nudiflorum– Winter Jasmine... Binomial name Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides, syn. ... The branches of a young sandalwood tree found in Hawaii Sandalwood is the wood of trees of the genus Santalum. ... Binomial name Pogostemon cablin Benth. ...

External links

• Hong Kong herbarium factsheet of Aquilaria sinensis
• "Sustainable Agarwood Production in Aquilaria Trees" at the University of Minnesota
• Rainforest project
• CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna