"Oodh" traces its history back to the days of Adam's Era. It is presently found in some of the most dense forests of North East India and South East Asia.
When the Asian Aquilaria tree is wounded and gets infected by a fungus, it produces a fragrant resin-like substance. Agarwood (Aloes wood/ Oud/ Kyara), otherwise regarded as "Wood of the Gods" is a highly acclaimed and precious resinous wood formed from the trees of the Aquilaria species. Also known as "Chen Xiang" (meaning sinking wood) by the Chinese, the priced status of this hard and heavy scented wood had its origin dated back to thousands of years for its medicinal purposes, religious rituals and also for its scented properties.
This is oodh, popularly referred to in trading circles as agarwood, the tree's fragrant heartwood. Both agarwood smoke and oil are used as customary perfume in the Middle East. It is used for its scent which is highly fascinating, invigourating, scintillating, rejuvinating, etc., etc.....
Agarwood producing tree species grow naturally in countries of South and Southeast Asia from India eastwards to Papua New Guinea, including Southeast China. Current demand within the Middle East and Asia is supplied almost entirely from unmanaged, wild-harvested stocks, many of which are declining as a result. Widespread illegal harvest and trade are also reported to meet the global demand, which currently exceeds the available supply. |
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So many things can be said about Oodh, but cannot be put into words. Eventhough it is one of the most expensive fragrance product in the world, the demand for it far exceeds the supply. As the Oodh growing areas are growing lesser on passage of time due to man made tree felling, the availability of the product is diminishing.
There are different types of Oodh. Usually the most bitter amongst Oodh is one of the best of its kind. There are various methods to find out the quality of Oodh. At Arab Oodh, we employ the most stringent quality control measures to assess the quality of the Oodh that we supplyAgarwood oil prices can range from US $ 5,000 to US $ 10,000 per kg. In the UAE too, oodh doesn't come cheap, with 1 kg of average quality reportedly costing Dh 200; and the very best as much as Dh 20,000.
Valued in Aurvedic, Tibetan and East Asian medicine for its ability to treat a range of disorders, agarwood is also used by Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus as incense in religious ceremonies and as a customary perfume. Agarwood essences are used to fragrance soaps and shampoos, and the popularity of highly priced essential oils reinforces the value of agarwood derivatives. In Taiwan agar is an aromatic ingredient in local wines.
As international demand for agarwood is increases, agarwood trees are becoming more difficult to find. It is reported by collectors that non-infected trees are increasingly being felled to harvest just a few kilos of diseased wood; and collection is taking place even in protected areas. Illegal agarwood harvest and/or trade has been reported from Bhutan, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR., Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and, more and more, Papua New Guinea - the last frontier for substantial wild stocks of agarwood. Heavily exploited in the rest of the world, with 8 species considered threatened, agarwood has paved the way for a new gold rush in Papua New Guinea's lowland forests, as local communities have begun searching for the aromatic wood previously unknown to them. Already, illegal trade in agarwood from PNG is estimated to be much larger than the legal. The rush accelerates as communities realise the value of the product.
Agar is used at a national level but it is mainly exported to Taiwan, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Japan. Indonesia and Malaysia are currently the main countries of export; and Singapore is known to be the country re-exporting the largest quantities of agarwood from Indonesia. India was once a major supplier of agarwood to international markets, but it now acts primarily as a processing centre since its own natural stocks have been largely depleted by over exploitation. So many things can be said about Oodh, but cannot be put into words. Eventhough it is one of the most expensive fragrance product in the world, the demand for it far exceeds the supply. As the Oodh growing areas are growing lesser on passage of time due to man made tree felling, the availability of the product is diminishing.
There are different types of Oodh. Usually the most bitter amongst Oodh is one of the best of its kind. There are various methods to find out the quality of Oodh. At Arab Oodh, we employ the most stringent quality control measures to assess the quality of the Oodh that we supply.
Oodh oil has its own properties.When applied on the skin, the smell at beginning is unpleasant. However within few minutes, the smell starts developing and becomes exhilarating and intoxicating. It lasts around 6 to 8 hours on the skin. Under different weather conditions, the lasting of the fragrance may vary. The smell of the Oodh oil has various effects on our behaviour such as rejuvinating, exhilarating, exotic, intoxicating, scintillating, so on, so on........ |
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