Sandalwood Oil’s Anti-Cancer, Sleep Enhancing, And Mood-Supportive Effects

Sandalwood is one of the most treasured aromatics by aromatherapy practitioners, and perhaps one of the most treasured by human civilization as well. Recorded use of the wood and its products date back over four millennium, more than any other aromatic plant. Yet while most practitioners make use of the oil for its unequaled scent, few are aware of some of its important science-proven medicinal effects.

The exotic oil comes from the heartwood of trees native to certain tropical regions of the world. Curiously, the sandalwood tree is only found growing on, or intertwined with, other trees; it’s considered, in fact, a parasite. Further, the trees are quite slow growing, and demand a certain amount of age before being mature enough to distill a significant volume of high-quality oil. This makes for a unique challenge in growing the wood and distilling the precious essential oil.

The very finest oil, certainly aromatically — and some people believe therapeutically as well — is distilled from the Santalum album species native to India. The essential oil has become so highly valued that over-harvesting of the trees has made a significant impact in deforestation in certain regions. So much so that the government of India made it a law that they now own all the sandalwood trees in the country! This, of course, is meant to prevent poaching of the trees, as clearly the offense is rather serious stealing the valuable resource from the government. Thankfully, there are plantations of this same species of tree underway, and other sources of very fine sandalwood oils that are now close in rivaling the quality of the Indian material.

It is clear that for the reasons of rarity alone, the essential oil is something to be cherished. However, the oil has some very impressive and important medicinal qualities that make it even more valuable. One application is a direct derivation of the use of the wood’s paste for skin care: The essential oil has been shown to prevent the occurrence of skin cancer if applied before exposure to UVB light as well as chemo-toxins.

Researchers have gone on to elucidate the ways the oil prevents cancers from forming on a microscopic level, noting the effect is a result of the primary natural chemical constituents of sandalwood essential oil. The important point is that this constituent is found in the essential oil from the three primary commercial sources: India, Australia and certain islands in the South Pacific. There are even sources where trees have been specifically selected for “high santalol content” which you can find from some aromatherapy companies. Including sandalwood essential oil in your skin care formulas is an excellent way to potentially make use of this wonderful benefit.

The aroma is highly regarded for its calming, centering qualities, without being sedating. Researchers in Vienna, Austria published research indicating study participants were positively affected in the areas of alertness, attentiveness, calmness, mood, relaxation and vigor. This correlates to its long-time use as the first choice aromatic in aiding meditation. It is reputed to quiet mental chatter, again while bringing the awareness to a singular focus.

While the aroma is stimulating in certain ways, calming in others, and never considered “sedating”, it has been shown in research to significantly improve sleep for those who may frequently have trouble falling or staying asleep. Sleep-disturbed subjects spent much less time awake, and much more time in dream-sleep when exposed to the oil’s vapor. However, researchers also concluded that the effect was not from the actual scent of the oil, but from action of the oil once in the bloodstream. If using sandalwood for sleep, it’s not necessary to smell it — the feet tend to be an area of the body very receptive to the actions of essential oils, and a gentle foot massage with a dilute sandalwood oil formula may help those who are having sleep difficulties.

These are only a few of the important health benefits available from sandalwood essential oil. It has a host of other wonderful skin-care properties, being used for nearly every skin care condition imaginable. It’s also an excellent fixative for natural perfumery, functioning as the base note in many fine colognes and perfumes. Because the chemical profile of the oil from the three primary sources on the globe are relatively close, you can generally use any of these for the therapeutic effects described here. For perfumery and other aromatic applications, try sampling oils from Australia and the South Pacific island of Vanuatu, in addition to an Indian oil if you can acquire it. This way you can become familiar with the range of aromas — investing in a quantity of the oil once you find your favorite is a great idea. The aroma gets even better as the oil ages, so both the price and your appreciation for your stock will increase over time.

More information on essential oil news and research is available through Ananda Aromatherapy – an online source for therapeutic grade essential oils.