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Agarwood (Oud)

lat. Aquilaria agallocha i A. malaccensis (Thymelaeaceae)

Group: Woods and Mosses

Agarwood (Oud) Aquilaria agallocha i A. malaccensis (Thymelaeaceae)

Aquillaria (Aquillaria agallocha and A. malaccensis (Thymelaeaceae)), sometimes called ‘the wood of gods’ is a fast-growing archaic tropical wood, which grows in south and south-east Asia. It was first discovers in the triangle bounded by Bengal, Hong Kong and New Guinea. There are several types of this genus growing in different parts of the world. The type Aquilaria agallocha grows mostly in India, Aquilaria malaccensis grows in Malaysia, where the jungles in Terenggan and Pahang are rich in this wood, while Aquilaria crassna mainly grows in Indochina. There are numerous other types such as Aquilaria grandfolia, Aquilaria chinesis, etc.

Aquillaria is often used in medical purposes in a way that an extract produced by boiling the wood in water is used as antipyretic, against stomach problems, diuretic, laxative, carminative and tonic. This extract is efficient in treatment of skin diseases, bronchitis, asthma and rheumatism. It is also included in some of the Tibetan formulas and recipes for production of medical incense sticks. In aromatherapy its essential oil is used to treat depression, and for meditation and relaxation. It is also considered to be the most powerful aphrodisiac among the essential oils.

When Aquillaria Agallocha and Aquillari Malaccensis get infected with the mould Phialophora parasitica, its immune system reacts in a way that in the heartwood it produces a precious, dark and aromatic raisin, oleoresin, also known as aggor, agarwood, eagleswood, aloeswood, oud or oudh in Arabic, and gharu in Malayan. It is possible to find the precious raisin even in the roots when the mould causes infection under ground. Because of its weight, this raisin is in Japan called Jinko, what means ‘the wood that sinks in water’. The finest quality raisin of Aquillaria is called Kanankoh or Kyara in Japanese. There are four types of Kyara – black, purple, green and iron.

The odor of oud is sweet and woody, elegant scent, of variant character. Its fragrance depends on various factors, such as the level of oleoresin, the cause of oleoresin production within the wood, and its color. The quality of oud can be determined by its taste – the more quality oud, the taste is bitterer. The quality oud has no difference in color. There are five qualities, tastes, of oud which helps its classification:
Sweet – resembles the scent of honey, or concentrated sugar
Sour – reminds of sourness of plums
Salty – like the lingering smell of seaweeds smoked above the fire
Bitter – smells like bitter herbal tonic
Hot – with smell like red hot chilies burnt on fire

Oud is unavoidable component in production of attar, Arabian perfume oils. In perfumes it is used in forms of oud oil (in Arabian 'dehn al oud') or raisin (oud mubakhar). The oil of oud, whether extracted by distillation from wood, or by melting the raisin, can be applied on skin directly and undiluted, as it does not irritate, or added in a perfume composition. Oud is not so widely spread and used in western perfume industry. However, some perfume houses such as Yves Saint Lauren and Amouage, Arabian perfume house in Oman which exports to Europe, North America and Australia, use oud in their perfumes for the base notes.

Due to its rarity, high demand, but also the risks that the workers in search for oud in the deep forests are exposed to, oud and its extracts are very costly. Its value is estimated as 1,5 times of the value of gold, and therefore it is also called 'liquid gold'. It can be said that oud oil is the most expensive essential oil in the world. It should also be mentioned that the pure oud oil can hardly be found even at the markets of Bangkok and Bombay. Most of the oud is already diluted even before it leaves the production area. Once in the hands of traders, its quality decreases, because before reaching the market it passes through the hands of at least ten traders and before transportation to Bangkok it becomes a lower quality commercial good.

Agarwood (Oud)

Group: Woods and Mosses

Perfumes and Colognes With Agarwood (Oud)

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