There’s a lot of talk about “sacred sandalwood”. What makes a sandalwood sacred? This kind of designation is often pretty abstract, but very simply its the very best sandalwood in terms of overall quality and aroma, but also grown and processed in a religious or spiritual setting with careful reverence and attention to detail in every regard. The scent of the final product is the real measure of course. So what is it about the scent of the very best sandalwood that makes us feel its sacred? Why is it considered sacred in so many religions and spiritual traditions around the world? I believe that when a natural substance possesses the properties of providing pleasure, a sense of peace, and real healing of both the body and the mind; it tends to be considered sacred by those who encounter it. The physical healing and psychoactive properties of sandalwood are very well documented. (for now you can explore these in detail with a quick online search, but at later date, we will be providing a complete listing of actual references to studies and scientific articles.) And of course, the very best sandalwood will have greater potency in every aforementioned regard.
We could get technical here and get into the chemistry of what qualifies as genuine sacred sandalwood worthy of the designation. Sure you can absolutely measure what makes a superlative sandalwood oil with chemical analysis, but today I’m just here to tell the story of one very special tree that has all the hallmarks of true and traditional sacred sandalwood. Terroir, growing conditions, age of the tree, provenance, purity, extraction, and ageing.
