Agarwood and its history
Agarwood, also known as oud, gaharu or aloes wood, is a natural raw material that is mainly obtained in Southeast Asia. It is one of the rare and expensive raw materials in the world and has been used in perfumery for thousands of years.
It has been used in incense, scented candles and perfumes for centuries in Asia and has also gained popularity in the Western world in recent years. There are very rare and expensive versions of Oud called Kinam or Kyara. However, these terms are often misused for advertising purposes.
Agarwood is produced through fermentation and distillation to extract the desired scent notes. It has a very intense and earthy scent that is described as very masculine and luxurious. Oud is often used in oriental and sensual perfumes and can also be used as a base note in other types of perfumes.
It is important to note that Oud is a very rare resource and that demand for it has increased significantly in recent years. To conserve resources, experts recommend using sustainably sourced Oud and reusing existing instruments.
The agarwood tree ( Aquilaria malaccensis)
The tree of the genus Aqu ilar ia , native to Asia , has many subspecies , but the well - known ones are Aqu ilar ia mal acc ensis , Aqu ilar ia cr ass na , _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Aqu ilar ia micro carp a and Aqu ilar ia fil aria . _ The eagle wood tree is a large , evergreen deciduous tree up to 40 meters high and has a soft type of wood . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
At first glance , this tree is rather inconspicuous and the fragrant wood is in its normal state and not yet visible . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ However , the tree is visited by a small insect that eats the bark and up to 14 different types of fungi , such as : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ " Phialophora parasitica " , the transformation begins : an unbelievable metamorphosis . _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Defense mechanism
The tree developed a defense mechanism against fungal infection that lasted for decades or even years under Tel Ang se _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Inside it has changed . _ _ _ _ This defense mechanism is not only triggered by fungal infections caused by insects , but also by _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Many types of stress , not all triggers of which are known . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ There may be injuries to the tree caused by storms or lightning , but there may also be traces of tiger claws in the bark . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ A lightning strike or a tiger visit can transform a simple tree into an aromatic wonder in decades , many of them _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ People are enchanted and the material value of the tree can increase to several hundred million euros . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Transformation into an aroma miracle
The tree reacts from the inside out with a compression through resin , which solidifies the wood such as buffalo horn or even stone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ can . _ Once the wood has been compacted properly , it sinks in the water and is called sinking grade . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It 's all about the oil in the resin . _ _ _ _ When such wood is distilled “ through reacting ” , oud oils are obtained , one of many types of essential oils . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The wood is heated , usually on charcoal , and then evaporated into a legendary and mystical scent . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It is not the ordinary essential oil that the tree carries in its wood , but an oil in the resin that the tree carries , for example _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ use its defense at the damaged or infested places from within . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Oud oil
The Oud oil is a very precious raw material that is used in many different cultures , as a smoking substance , _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ as a part of perfumes and fragrance oils , as a healing agent and even as jewelry . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Oud oil is a very rare and precious commodity that has been a symbol of luxury and wealth throughout the years . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The preciousness of the oud oil is due to the rare and difficult to preserve raw material , but also a _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ It has a unique aroma that is unique and incomparable . _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Agarwood Harvest: A Miracle That Must Be Protected
Agarwood Harvest: A Precious and Rare Raw Material Agarwood, also known as oud, is considered one of the most complex and valuable fragrances in the world. Each tree has its own unique scent depending on age, region, infection, species and harvesting method. This means that a gram of agarwood can cost between a few cents and several thousand euros per gram, depending on the quality.
In the past, agarwood was available in larger quantities and was only harvested in a sustainable and respectful manner, as only certain parts of the tree contain the valuable resin. This often required months of work to penetrate millimeters down to the exclusive layers and carve or peel them out.
Due to the high effort and high value of the agarwood, the tree is now almost extinct and will never again have the time to go through the internal process of 100 years. Prices double every few years and infected trees disappear from the scene.
It requires long and dangerous expeditions into the jungle, often lasting months, to find trees that are still infected. The situation surrounding agarwood trees is dramatic and tragic. Fortunately, reforestation projects of various kinds have been around for several decades and are already bearing fruit. We work closely with these project operators to improve the sustainability of agarwood harvesting.
Plantation wood is a good and sustainable alternative to harvesting wild trees. The only disadvantage is that these trees are harvested after a shorter period of time, i.e. after 7-15 years, and do not have the same fragrance intensity as trees that are over 100 years old. Still, the price is only a fraction of that, and the scent is still intoxicating. By growing agarwood in plantations, this valuable raw material can be made more accessible and at the same time more sustainable.
