Sandalwood: Traditional Knowledge from Ayurveda

Abstract

Candana (Santalum album) is woven into the culture and traditions of India for over two thousand years. It is commonly known as Indian sandalwood which is the oldest and precious source of natural fragrance with immense medicinal, religious, and commercial significance. The economic importance of Candana and its essential oil has made it into the RET (Rare Endangered Threatened) category and it is one of the vulnerable plant species (ArunKumar et al. in The IUCN red list of threatened species, 2019). Candana is used in the traditional Indian system of medicine like Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani, which is used in treatment and prevention of a wide range of ailments. This chapter aims to capture the essence of traditional knowledge on Candana as documented in Ayurvedic literature from 1500 BC to 1900 AD, with detailed citations and descriptions, translated from ancient Acharyas such as Caraka, Susrutha, and Vagbhata have been covered. Approximately 1011 references of Candana documented in 20 Ayurvedic classical texts, 30 synonyms in Sanskrit denoting its morphological characters, cultural and medical uses, 372 vernacular names found in 10 different languages are a part of this chapter. Vernacular names and Sanskrit synonyms of Candana along with their descriptive meaning illustrate the importance and popularity of Candana on a wider scale. The sheer depth of Indian Knowledge Systems is demonstrated with Sanskrit slokas and their approximate English meaning with the explanation of the various uses of Candana as well as simple and compound medicinal formulations. Highly informative data sources and a bibliography with supportive evidence authentic in nature have also been provided for further referencing.