Introduction

The Aquilaria genus (a member of the Thymelaeaceae) is renown for its fragrant non-wood product, the agarwood (or aloeswood, eaglewood). Due to high demand in many countries for its value, this infected wood is distilled into oil, further processed into perfumes, incenses, and feng shui decor/ display.

With its distinctive fragrance and usage in traditional medicine, local rituals, agarwood is a much-sought-after ingredient in many countries. The demand of agarwood has been surging for several decades. One of the challenges we are facing is the slow formation of agarwood because it takes years to form. In contrast, the trading volume is high and in nature, the supply of agarwood has been decreasing. To cope with this issue, man kind starts to cultivate Aquilaria genus and make agarwood out of it.

The resinous part of the infected or wounded Aquilaria tree is called agarwood, a valuable non-timber product for the production of high-end incenses, perfume and medicine.  100% pure agarwood oil contains many aromatic substances and is obtained from the pathological conditions of the wood of living trees.To conserve the wild Aquilaria and supply sustainable amount of agarwood,for this high demand cultivation of Aquilaria trees is the best approach which Grandawood has been doing for the past three generations.

The farmers who want to wound their plants

You read it right. Who on earth would injure their crops? Most farmers want their plants as healthy as possible, by implementing the below methods: 

• putting scarecrow to keep birds away
• spraying pesticides to eliminate insects, and bugs

At the end of the day, it makes sense because as consumers who want to consume rotten plants, fruits or crops? And as growers, who would want to waste their hard-earn money. No one you might say.

Don't believe me? Have you seen the below image: farmers are wounding their crops by

Drilling:

(Source: baoviet.com)

Nailing:

(Source: baoviet.com)

Perhaps you asked what these guys were doing? Are they out of mind? Why are they wounding their trees instead of protecting them?

The answer might surprise you!

The above genus is Aquilaria (Crassna, Malaccensis, Sinensis,..) which is worth nothing as healthy trees.

But when wounded, a special defence mechanism is created to fight diseases which is known as the legendary agarwood (oud or oudh).

Agarwood has been long used as herbal medicine for analgesic, antipyretic and aid in the digestive system in Eastern ancient cultures. Agarwood is mainly found in South East Asian countries. Endowed by the climate and other advantageous conditions, Vietnamese Agarwood's  quality is highly valued among the best for its renowned unique sweet taste, many benefits and versatile usages. Agarwood is the rarest and precious heartwood on the planet. To serve different demands from producing medicines, fragrances, using in religious ceremonies, to household and personal usages, they are diversified into agarwood leaves, oil, wood chips, incenses, bead bracelets or necklaces.

Agarwood is known as the following

• Aloes-wood
• Eagle-wood

• 沉香,沈香
• 침향

• Oud
• le bois d'agar

Agarwood, a fragrant wood and its usage