You can use the healing aroma of the sandalwood tree to promote feelings of peace and serenity and also to ease various ailments of the digestive system. As it is more expensive than many oils, you are more likely to come across it as joss sticks, incense or in scented candles than as oil, but burning any of these can be just as therapeutic as using a vaporiser to infuse a room's atmosphere with its healing aroma.
For your Skin and Stomach
Sandalwood encourages your stomach muscles to produce gastric juices, easing nausea, colic and gastritis. It also stimulates the production of urine and causes muscles to contract, helping to flush excess liquids - including mucus and diarrhoea - from the body. It's antiseptic properties help to fight infection.
It also improves dry and cracked skin by drawing natural oils through the soft tissues to the skin's surface, making it a valuable ingredient in many toiletries.
Active Ingredients of Sandalwood
Sandalwood is a natural antiseptic and preservative, making it useful in soap, beauty creams and other toiletries. It also contains several beneficial compounds.
Santalols
Small molecules give sandalwood its distinctive aroma. They kill bacteria and also help you to sleep, as they are natural sedatives.
Tannins
These compounds can help to stop bleeding, prevent infections, tighten loose tissues an protect and heal damaged skin.
Using Your Sandalwood
Light your joss stick, lie back and feel your mind, body and spirit unwind as the powerful aroma calms your spirit and conjures up visions of warmer climes.
Relax and Enjoy
Breathing in the aromatic smoke from your joss stick can help to lift melancholy and promote restful sleep. It subdues aggression and irritability, promotes compassion and openness, enhances meditation and clears thought processes.
Sandalwood is particularly good for stress relief, especially when combined with lavender or bergamot.
Other Eastern, woody fragrances such as cedar and frankincense add to the feelings of peace and calm that sandalwood can promote.
Sandalwood is also an aphrodisiac, and can stimulate a sensual mood.
Magical Sandalwood
Sandalwood stimulates the root (seventh) Chakra, improving self-identity and trust. In the Ayurvedic healing tradition, it promotes energy and enthusiasm, increasing your self-esteem and Joie de vivre.
Burn sandalwood during a full moon to increase spiritual vibrations inside your home.
Burning sandalwood near your door welcomes your guests and attunes them to your home's positivity - encouraging them to leave their doubts and anger outside.
Sandalwood Oil
Sandalwood essential oil is relatively expensive but if you do splash out, you can use it in weak dilutions.
A few drops in a washbasin of hot water creates a steam inhalation to ease acne and cracked or dry skin.
In a vaporiser or your bath it will dry up excess mucus - easing bronchitis, wet coughs, stuffy heads and diarrhoea.
Using Joss sticks in your Exercises
The strong aroma given off by joss sticks makes them a good tool to use during gentle visualisation or meditation exercises. A simple joss stick visualisation can add spice to more mundane tasks.
- Light a joss stick when you're ready to start exercising, such as on an exercise bike or walker, or during aerobics.
- As you exercise, close your eyes and breathe in the heady aroma, letting your mind drift with its scent.
- After a few deep breaths, imagine that rather than being in your room or gym, you're cycling along a mountain path, perhaps in the Himalayas or India, under a warm summer sun. Imagine the aroma coming from the beautiful trees that line your path.
You'll soon find that in this way your exercise period goes much more quickly, and is far more enjoyable.