What Does Sandalwood Bark Do?

Sandalwood bark oil is used to "tighten" skin.

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Sandalwood is a tree that grows along the Pacific Basin from Australia through Southeast Asia. The tree is widely coveted as incense because of its pleasant and persistent aroma, as well as its aromatic oils and bark. Commercial vendors of sandalwood bark claim it can remove facial wrinkles, cure anxiety and depression, and even function as a sunscreen. High demand has raised prices for sandalwood bark, and the tree is now a threatened species.

Related Searches: Aroma

The most common use of sandalwood bark and the oil extracted from it is as a fragrance. It is ground and pressed into incense, mixed with potpourri, carved into fragrant icons and mixed in perfumes. The main species harvested for the aroma has been the Santalum album, but demand has created overharvesting; so other species of sandalwood are now commonly substituted with aromas that are less persistent.

Religio-Medicinal

Aroma therapies, both those associated with Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism and more commercial variants in the West, make wide use of sandalwood bark and bark oils. Bark is sometimes mixed with water and ground into a paste that is either dried and burned or mixed with other oils and applied directly to the skin, where it is said to have a "cooling" effect that enhances the experience of meditation. Medicinal and religious uses are not clearly differentiated in cultures without strict Western taxonomies.

Anti-Microbial

Sandalwood bark extracts have demonstrated anti-microbial properties. The bark contains beta-santolol, a known anti-microbial. Tea from sandalwood bark is used in some places for urinary tract infections and the bark extracts are added to soaps to disinfect the skin. Washing the face with sandalwood bark products is believed to be helpful in the treatment of acne. Direct application of full-strength sandalwood bark paste to the skin is risky, which is why it is generally mixed with other oils.

Microscope Immersion Oil

Microscopy is a field that uses certain oils to enhance the resolution of items and organisms under microscopic observation. The ideal oils are those with a very high "refractive index," that is, a wavelength of refraction that most closely matches that of the human eye. These "immersion oils" include both artificial and natural oils. The oil from sandalwood bark is considered one of the best natural immersion oils.

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