Throughout the history, only the king and the very wealthy were able to benefit from its powers and now it can be available to the general public. Aloeswood was such a precious commodity that was used as a give among nations for their diplomatic purposes, while it reflected on one’s wealth and power.

King Louis XIV of France had his shirts washed in rose water in which Aloeswood had been previously boiled. The Indian poet Kalidasa once wrote:” Beautiful ladies, preparing themselves for the feast of pleasure, cleanse themselves with the yellow powder of sandal, clear and pure. They freshens their breasts with pleasant aromas, and suspend their dark hair in the smoke of burning Aloeswood. This is the legendary “tree from the garden of Eden” where Adam and Eve were only allowed to take cutting from the Aloeswood tree.

Samurai warriors scented their armour with Aloeswood smoke for luck before going to battle. Meanwhile, Lord Buddha was to have said that the smell of Aloeswood burning “is the scent of Nirvana”. It is also favorites by Lord Krishna. The Egyptians are believed to have used agarwood incense as part of their death rituals more than 3,000 years ago. They used Aloeswood to embalm and anoint the dead. Eight-century Egyptian jurist and poet Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafi’I said: “Gold is just dust when still in the ground, and oud in its country of origin is just another kind of firewood.

Agarwood Project In Certain Countries

The high prices for agarwood and the local depletion of resources have led to a variety of efforts to stimulate the growth of agarwood. Experiments were set up in several countries including China, Thailand and Indonesia. However, one of the most successful efforts was a project initiated in Vietnam.

In addition to laboratory analysis, field experiments were developed by a non-governmental organization based in Ho Chi Min City. The project, called The Rainforest Project (TRP), is in the Seven Mountains area of South Vietnam close to the border with Cambodia. The experiments were undertaken with local farmers and Buddhist monks who had gained considerable experience in the cultivation of Aquilaria trees. Building on their knowledge, experimental plots were developed to stimulate the production of agarwood. The process and experiments were supervised by a wood pathologist from the University of Minnesota, Prof. Robert Blanchette and the Director of TRP, Henry Heuveling van Beek. The main principle of the process was the drilling of holes in the tree trunk and keeping the wound open by putting a small piece of plastic pipe in the hole. A chemical treatment was added to the wound to encourage the trees defence mechanism which stimulates the production of the resin. After years of experimenting with the numbers of holes, the age of the tree, the amount of chemicals and other variables, the first trees were harvested and the production of incense made from the cultivated agarwood has begun.

In Thailand, the declining of agarwood supply has led Thai scientists, in partnership with the private sector, to set up relatively large scale plantations. One of these plantations is run by a company called Krissana Panasin in Chantaburi, Southeast Thailand. Over the years it has established a substantial plantation of several hundred hectares, including nurseries, processing and distillation units. The research department of the company has been experimenting with all kinds of techniques to obtain the optimal quality. Moreover, it provides seedlings to interested farmers who can produce agarwood trees on their own farms. The technology to wound the trees in order to start agarwood production is also provided to the small holders by the company. The mature trees are eventually being sold for processing to the company as the farmers usually lack the connections and skills to organise the transport to other buyers.

In Indonesia, agarwood cultivation project was undertaken by the Catholic Church in Marauke, Papua. The project aims to integrate agarwood trees into the local agroforestry system. This is based on the idea that in the future agarwood may become an additional source of income for the farmers. Methods that are being used are largely based on local trial and error efforts in wounding and treating trees, including innoculation. Processing units are still absent and the farmers are fully dependent on outside traders for market opportunities.