Sandalwood
Botanical Name: Santalum album
Indian Name: Chandan

Sandalwood is a medium sized evergreen tree with almost drooping branches, dark rough bark and scented mature wood. It has opposite leaves, shining on the upper surface, with small dull purplish flowers in small bunches and roundish, purple black succulent fruits. Sandalwood yields an essential oil which contains santaioe.

Both the sandalwood,and the essential oil obtained after fractional distillation, have been used in Ayurveda
for many centuries. The wood is bitter, sedative, cooling and a cardiac tonic. It arrests secretion or
bleeding and in promoting the flow of urine. Moreover, sandalwood oil is a stimulant
and an antiseptic. It has a soothing effect on the skin and mucous membranes.

Genito Urinary Disorders Sandalwood powder mixed with milk or made into pills, as also sandalwood oil, is beneficial in the treatment of gonorrhoea. Sandalwood oil is used in treating, painful and difficult urination and inflammation of the bladder. It is taken in doses of five drops in the beginning and gradually increased to 10 to 30 drops. Its efficacy can be increased by the addition of ajwain water or infusion of ginger.

Gastric Irritability . About 22 grams of a watery emulsion of the wood mixed with sugar, honey and rice water, should be administered in the treatment.

Dysentery Sandalwood is also beneficial in the treatment of dysentery. It should be administered as for gastric irritability.

Prickly Heat Sandalwood paste is a household remedy for prickly heat. It prevents excessive sweating and heals inflamed skin. Dry sandalwood powder can be mixed in rose water and applied over parts where there is profuse sweating.

Skin Diseases An emulsion or a paste of the wood is a cooling dressing in inflammatory and eruptive skin diseases such as an inflammatory disease of the face, and an itchy eruption. The oil is useful for scabies too. This oil mixed with twice its ` quantity of mustard oil is used for removing pimples. In summer, regular application of sandalwood paste on the body, especially for children,has a refreshing effect, which heals any tiny infected spots.

Fever Sandalwood paste applied on the temple relieves headache and brings down the temperature in fevers.

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