KJC Medicinal Garden

Our Collections | Medical Plants | Herbal Plants

Gandha
Santalum album


Order:Santalales
Family:Santalaceae
Genus:Santalum
Species:Santalum album
Common Names:East Indian sandalwood
Native to Dry tropical region of India and the Indonesian island of Timor and Sumba

Other plants of the same genus with medicinal properties

    Santalum spicatum
    Santalum austrocaledonicum
    Santalum ellipticum
    Santalum obtusifolium
Morphology:
  • Height is between 4 to 9 metres.
  • The bark is reddish or brown (almost black) is smooth in young trees.
  • The leaves are thin, opposite and ovate to lanceolate in shape.
  • Flowers are bisexual, 5-6mm across, reddish purple, in axillary and terminal paniculate cymes.
  • Fruit is globose drupe, annulate above, beaked with basal part of the style, dark black when ripe, fruiting through out the year

Uses in Tradition systems of medicine

  • Sandalwood oil has been widely used in treating common colds
  • Also uses to treat Bronchitis
  • Dysentery
  • Skin disorder
  • Heart ailments
  • Fever
Nutritional Properties
  • Macro-nutrients phosphorus
  • Nitrogen
  • Potassium

Suggested Medicinal Properties

  • Infections of the urinary tract
  • Inflammation of mouth and pharynx
  • General weakness

Active Phytochemicals

1. Alcohols like α- and β-santalols 2. Bergamotols 3. Lanceol 4. Nuciferol 5. Bisabolol 6. α-and β-santalenes 7. Bergamotenes

References

Dhanya, Bhaskar; Viswanath, Syam; Purushothman, Seema (2010). "Sandal (Santalum album L.) conservation in southern India: A review of policies and their impacts". Journal of Tropical Agriculture. 48 (1–2): 1–10.

Misra, Biswapriya B.; Das, Shibendu S.; Dey, Satyahari (2013). "Volatile profiling from heartwood of East Indian sandalwood tree". Journal of Pharmacy Research. 7 (4): 299–303