Sandalwood, known as ‘Dingxiang’ in Buddhism, is known as the ‘King of Spices’ and ‘Green Gold’. It comes from the wood material (or its resin) of the sandalwood shrub, with the material closer to the center and root being better. It is commonly made into wood chips, boards, bricks, etc., or extracted into sandalwood essential oil. Sandalwood has been praised as a fine product for making incense over the years, but when burned independently, the smell is not good; however, if properly mixed with other spices, it can ‘elevate the fragrance to an unparalleled level.

Can sandalwood repel mosquitoes?

It has a mosquito-repelling effect, but the effect is undoubtedly not as good as mosquito repellent strips.

The greatest function of sandalwood is not to repel mosquitoes; the scent produced by sandalwood incense is fresh and elegant, and has many health-preserving effects such as fatigue relief, mood relaxation, stress relief, smooth breathing, improved sleep quality, and adjustment of endocrine function.

Sandalwood has a unique fragrance with a calming effect, which is very helpful for meditation training and is therefore widely used in religious rituals, especially in India and China, where the demand for sandalwood has never decreased.

The effects and functions of sandalwood:

1. Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial: Sandalwood has a helping effect on the urogenital system, can improve cystitis, and has the effect of clearing blood and anti-infection.

2. Skin benefits: Generally, sandalwood is very beneficial for dry eczema and dehydrated skin, making the skin soft and improving the condition of skin itching or inflammation. Its antibacterial effect is also more beneficial for improving the wound of acne infection.

3. Cough and expectoration: Sandalwood has a good effect on chest infections, as well as sore throat with bronchitis and lung infections, and dry cough. When there is mucosal inflammation, sandalwood can alleviate the condition and can also stimulate the human immune system to prevent secondary infection by bacteria.

4. Sandalwood has unique fatigue-relieving effects, can drive away anxious emotions, and is conducive to improving a romantic atmosphere. Sandalwood also has anti-spasm and strengthening effects on the human body, producing a sense of relaxation and happiness.

How to light sandalwood powder:

1. Spread a layer of burned sandalwood powder evenly over the statue, pour an appropriate amount of sandalwood powder onto the ash, and knead it into a point with your fingers, then light the sandalwood powder.

2. Insert a thin piece of sandalwood or sandalwood incense into the sandalwood powder, and light the thin piece of sandalwood or sandalwood incense.

Identification of sandalwood:

1. Observe the fragrance of sandalwood; sandalwood with added fragrance has a different smell after burning and is very strong and irritating to the eyes; while the authentic sandalwood fragrance is always slowly and does not irritate the eyes.

2. Look at the color tone of the incense ash; the ash of old sandalwood powder is grayish-black, so the ash of pure sandalwood burned should also be darker. If it turns white, the purity is undoubtedly not high.

3. Pay attention to the incense ash’s focus; when the ash of a just lit incense is pinched, if it gets hot, it indicates the presence of lime powder.

4. Observe the length of the incense ash; the longer the ash, the more glue is used.