Sandalwood

How Does It Work?

The sandalwood tree is a hemiparasitic plant; this means that it connects to the roots of other plants for its water and nutrients. It will tap into the root system of a tree or plant until that tree or plant dies, then the roots will grow until it finds another one. The sandalwood tree grows between 12 and 30 feet (4-9 m) tall.

The essential oil is steam distilled from the wood. It can take up to 8 days to distill. The highest concentration of oil is in the heartwood (center) of the tree. Because of this, older trees produce a higher yield of oil and higher quality. It takes at least 15 years before a sandalwood tree is harvested. Unlike other woods, sandalwood retains its fragrance for decades.