Sandalwood Oil Uses and Benefits

The botanical name of sandalwood oil is Santalum album. This is an essential oil, which is obtained from the roots and heartwood of the sandalwood tree. This oil has a unique, exotic fragrance and is pale yellow or pale golden in color. The main components of the oil are beta-santalol, santalenes, and santyl acetate, which makes it a superior quality oil.

Sandalwood oil is one of the most expensive essential oils. The best quality oil comes from Mysore in India. Actually, usage of this oil began several thousands of years ago in countries like India, Egypt, Greece, etc.

The oil has medicinal uses, industrial uses, and it is also used for beauty treatment. Some practical uses of this natural oil are as follows.

Therapeutic Uses: Sandalwood essential oil is widely used in aromatherapy, as a traditional medicine. It is also used as massage oil in massage therapy. When the aromatherapy oil is absorbed into the skin, it interacts with the enzymes and hormones of the body, chemically and stimulates the central nervous system. Its fragrance has a relaxing effect on our senses. Thus, it influences the physical and psychological aspect of the body and reduces anxiety, fear, stress, and depression.

Cosmetic Uses: The oil is an important component of various skin creams and lotions. It is used in moisturizing lotions for dry skin, and hand creams, as its hydrating properties help to get rid of dry, flaky skin. It can also provide relief from the itching and inflammation of the chapped skin.

It can be an ingredient of facial cleansers for oily skin, as it has an excellent toning effect on the skin. It is added in anti-aging creams, as it can tighten the sagging skin.

Home Remedies: It can be used in vapor therapy to get rid of chest infection, asthmatic symptoms, bronchitis, etc. It can be used in diluted form for gargling purpose in order to cure sore or dry throat. It can be given to small children with digestive problems or as a health tonic, which in turn can boost up their body functions.

Fragrance Uses: Due to its fresh and sweet scent, it is used in perfumes and deodorants. The subtle lingering fragrance of sandalwood makes it a highly demanding material for incense. As its aroma can calm down our senses, these incenses are used during meditation. You will be surprised to know that its fragrance can keep small insects away. So they are used in preparing insect repellent sprays and fumigants as well.

The best thing about this oil is that it can be used both externally as well as internally. The following are some important properties of this oil that enhance its medicinal value.

Disinfectant: The aroma of the oil helps keep away germs that are responsible for causing infections. Consuming a mixture of milk and sandalwood oil helps in curing several infections, like urinary tract infection, stomach infection, and throat infections.

Antiseptic: It is an excellent natural antiseptic. The oil can be applied directly on the wounds, sores, boils, pimples, etc., or it can be added to bathwater to fight various skin infections.

Anti-inflammatory:It has a nice, soothing effect on various types of inflammation in the body. This includes inflammation of the nervous system, circulatory system, excretory system, digestive system, etc.

Other Benefits: This essential oil has a soothing effect on the skin and helps to lighten scars, marks, spots, etc., left behind by wounds and acne, on the surface of the skin. It is a sedative that can ease off the tension from nerves and muscles.

Thus, it can provide relief from spasms, stress, anxiety, and relax your mind. It also aids in urinary and genital disorders, liver and gallbladder problems, hemorrhoids.

Sandalwood oil blends very well with different ingredients, which makes it one of the most popular ingredients in several products. In general, this oil can be safely used by everyone except those who are allergic to sandalwood. Do not apply the oil directly in the raw form on the skin. Rather, mix it up with other carrier oil like lavender oil, bergamot oil, geranium oil, etc., and then use it.