Agarwood is a commonly used medicine for regulating qi, but it is very expensive. Be extremely careful when selecting it

A video introduction to Dr. Da Zhen’s talk on Chinese medicine:

Agarwood burns as a court torch, mixed with tortoise-shell ointment. How can this compare to a small fire, with swirling smoke and soft music? Greedy people never have enough, even pepper they demand more. Zhu and Liu, two madmen, fall like lotus in the wind. They wanted to fish out the whole pond, but what about the next year?

                                        The first of Nine Poems in Imitation of Ancient Styles, by Su Shi of the Northern Song Dynasty.

The first of Nine Poems in Imitation of Ancient Styles, by Su Shi of the Northern Song Dynasty

  Agarwood: A Comprehensive Overview Based on the Fourth Edition of the Taiwan Chinese Herbal Pharmacopoeia

  Agarwood is a valuable medicinal material, and due to its high price, there is a risk of buying counterfeit or inferior products. Here are some key points to consider when purchasing agarwood:

1. Genuine Agarwood: True agarwood comes from the Aquilaria tree and is produced when the tree is injured by physical, chemical, or biological factors, causing it to produce a resinous substance. Natural agarwood is rare and expensive, often costing between NT$15,000 to NT$30,000 per kilogram.
2. Inferior Agarwood: Lower-quality agarwood may come from the genus Santalum (Sandalwood) or other non-resinous wood sources. These are often processed into inferior products and sold at a lower price, typically a few thousand NT dollars per kilogram. Inferior agarwood usually has an uneven surface, lacks black-brown resin and black-yellow patterns, and has a faint or almost no smell.
3. Imitations and Substitutes:
   • Bitter Bluewood: This wood is used as a substitute and appears in short, blocky pieces with a brown to dark brown surface and visible deep and shallow textures. Its aroma is weaker and it produces less fragrance when burned.
   • “Daughter’s Fragrance”: Refers to unresinated wood from agarwood trees with poor quality, not commonly used in medicine.
   • “Earth Agarwood” or “Mountain Agarwood”: Made from camphor tree roots, which have a distinct camphor smell and can be easily distinguished from genuine agarwood.
   • “Fake Agarwood”: Made from decayed shipboards or camphor wood, appearing in irregular blocky shapes with a rough, black-brown surface and a musty wood smell.
   • Painted Wood: Some imitations are made from other woods and sprayed with paint or dye, resulting in irregular chunks with a yellowish-white color and paint or dye marks. These do not have the distinctive agarwood fragrance but may have a pine resin smell or other odors.

When purchasing agarwood, it’s essential to be very cautious to avoid these common imitations and inferior products.

  In addition to agarwood used for incense or rituals, which varies in price based on fragrance and origin, here’s a detailed description of its characteristics and classifications:

1. Appearance and Quality:
   • General Characteristics: Genuine agarwood used for ceremonial purposes is typically brown with intersecting black and yellow patterns. It has a smooth, lustrous surface and, when cut, reveals a gray-brown cross-section. The wood is dense and heavy, often sinking or partially floating in water. It emits a distinctive fragrance and has a bitter taste, with oil oozing out during burning and producing a very strong aroma.
2. Common Names and Varieties:
   • Ganan Incense (伽南香): A general term for high-quality agarwood.
   • Galo (伽羅, meaning “black” in Sanskrit): Refers to another high-grade variety.
   • Qinan (奇楠) and Qinana (棋楠): Other names for types of agarwood known for their quality.
3. High-Quality Varieties:
   • Green Oil Ganan (綠油伽楠): Features a greenish-brown color, with a high resin content and a smooth, oily surface. When cut, it shows a black-brown cross-section, and is considered top-grade.
   • Purple Oil Ganan (紫油伽楠): This variety has a purplish-black exterior and a high resin content, with a smooth, oily texture. The cut surface is dark brown or purple-black, indicating its premium quality.

When selecting agarwood, particularly for its fragrance or ritual use, it is essential to recognize these quality indicators and be aware of the various names and classifications to ensure authenticity and value.

    In summary, agarwood plays an indispensable role not only in traditional medicine but also in everyday life. To ensure the safety of medicinal use, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Department of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy has established standards for sulfur dioxide limits, as well as limits for heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead. This ensures that the public can use agarwood with confidence.

Agarwood used in garden incense, with its rich scent blending together in the cauldron. How can it compare to the delicate fire, with smoke curling around a clear song? Greedy people are never satisfied, even desiring more pepper. The two wild youths, Zhu and Liu, fall like the wind’s lotus. Originally intending to drain the pond to catch fish, yet what will the next year bring?

                                        The first of Nine Poems in Imitation of Ancient Styles, by Su Shi of the Northern Song Dynasty.

The poem reveals that during the author’s tenure as an official in Hainan, he witnessed the rampant deforestation of agarwood trees due to their high price and fame. The author realized that if this continued, agarwood would face the threat of depletion. This indicates that agarwood was already being heavily exploited as early as the Song Dynasty. The situation worsened during the Ming and Qing dynasties. In recent years, due to severe deforestation, agarwood has been listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to protect it. Any import or export of agarwood must be accompanied by an export permit issued by the exporting country. However, given that agarwood is a commonly used Chinese herbal medicine, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has issued a document (No. 11104601760) stipulating that individuals can import up to 1 kilogram of agarwood wood chips, 24 milliliters of agarwood oil, and 2 pieces of beads, necklaces, or bracelets not exceeding 0.3 kilograms without the need for additional documentation, to accommodate the needs of the general public.

    According to the fourth edition of the Taiwan Pharmacopoeia, agarwood (沉香) is derived from the resinous heartwood of the plant Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Spreng., which belongs to the family Thymelaeaceae. This wood, which contains resin, is primarily produced in subtropical and tropical regions, including Southeast Asia and South Asia. It is produced in places such as Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi in mainland China, and also in Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. In Taiwan, cultivation began in the early 1980s, and with advancements in agricultural technology, large-scale cultivation has been established, yielding some results. According to its origin, agarwood is classified into several types:

Huian agarwood from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Xingshu agarwood from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei.
Hainan agarwood from Hainan, Guangdong, and Yunnan in mainland China.
Agarwood is also known as “沉水香” (沉香) because its heartwood typically contains black resin, which is dense enough to sink in water and has a fragrant aroma. It is also called “水沉香” and, due to Hainan being a major production area, it is sometimes referred to as “海南沉香” (Hainan agarwood). In Dongguan, Guangdong, where it is cultivated, it is known as “莞香” (Guangdong agarwood).

The “Nanyue Zhi,” written by Shen Huaiyuan of the Southern Song Dynasty, records: “In Jiaozhou, there is a fragrant tree. To harvest it, one must first cut its roots. After several years, the outer bark rots, and the heartwood with solid black resin that sinks in water is agarwood, while those that float are chicken bones, and the coarsest ones are stackwood.” This explains its origin and classification.

According to the Taiwan Pharmacopoeia, the agarwood material usually appears in flat pieces, chunks, or irregular strips of various sizes. The surface is uneven with processing marks, showing a pattern of alternating dark brown oil-containing parts and yellowish wood. The pores on the surface resemble decayed wood. It is generally lightweight, with some not sinking in water, and has a fragrant aroma. When burned, it produces thick smoke and a strong fragrance. It can be harvested year-round. After cutting the resin-containing wood, the non-resin parts are removed, and the remaining wood is sun-dried for future use.

According to “Benjing Fengyuan,” agarwood is primarily used to relieve qi stagnation and is recommended for cases of qi stagnation and obstruction. Additionally, agarwood has effects of promoting qi flow, relieving pain, and calming the breath. It is effective for abdominal pain, chest congestion, and breathlessness.

    Agarwood is a valuable medicinal material, so it’s easy to accidentally purchase counterfeit or mixed substances. When buying agarwood, special attention is needed. Typically, lower-quality agarwood that is found on the market is made from the wood of Aquilaria sinensis that does not contain resin. True agarwood is produced from the resinous heartwood of the Aquilaria tree after it has been damaged by physical, chemical, or biological factors. Naturally occurring agarwood is rare, which is why it is so expensive.

In recent years, artificially cultivated agarwood has become more common, and its price has decreased to around NT$15,000 to NT$30,000 per kilogram. However, counterfeit agarwood still exists on the market. These fakes are often made from wood that does not contain resin, and their price is around a few thousand New Taiwan Dollars per kilogram. The surface of these counterfeit materials is usually uneven, with few blackish-brown resin areas or alternating black and yellow patterns. The pores on the surface often resemble decayed wood, and the scent is faint or nearly absent.

Another type of fake agarwood is made from wood of the genus Peltophorum, which is sometimes confused with genuine agarwood. This material is short and blocky, with a brown to dark brown surface showing varying shades and grooves. Its wood grain is finer, and the aroma is weaker. When burned, it produces less fragrance.

Additionally, some products labeled as “Nü’ér Xiāng” (daughter’s fragrance) refer to inferior wood from agarwood trees that have not produced resin. This material is of lower quality and is less commonly used in medicine.

There are also cases of using the roots of camphor trees, labeled as “Tǔ Chénxiāng” (earth agarwood) or “Shān Chénxiāng” (mountain agarwood). These have a distinct camphor smell, making them easy to distinguish from true agarwood.

Another type called “Jiǎ Chénxiāng” is made from decayed ship planks or camphor wood planks. It is irregularly shaped, with a rough surface and blackish-brown color, and has a musty odor.

Finally, some counterfeit agarwood is made from other woods that are sprayed or dyed to mimic genuine agarwood. These materials usually come in irregular pieces with a yellowish-white surface and gray-black spots from the spray or dye. They lack the distinctive agarwood fragrance and instead have a pine resin smell or other odors.

Therefore, extreme caution is necessary when purchasing agarwood.

    In Taiwan, agarwood used for incense or ceremonial purposes is priced differently based on its aroma and origin. This type of agarwood typically has a brown exterior with alternating black and yellow patterns. It is smooth and polished, and when cut, the cross-section appears grayish-brown. The wood is solid and heavy, usually sinking in water or being partially submerged. It has a distinctive aroma and a bitter taste, and when burned, it exudes oil and a very intense fragrance.

Commonly encountered product names for this type of agarwood include “Gān Nán Xiāng” (伽南香), “Gā Luó” (伽羅, meaning “black” in Sanskrit), “Qí Nán Xiāng” (奇楠香), “Qí Nán” (奇楠), and “Gān Nán” (伽南).

Additionally, high-quality agarwood can be identified by its resin content. If the wood has a high resin content and the oilier, darker parts have been removed, the remaining material often comes in rectangular or block shapes. Agarwood with a greenish-brown exterior is known as “Lǜ Yóu Gān Nán” (綠油伽楠), while those with a purplish-black exterior are called “Zǐ Yóu Gān Nán” (紫油伽楠). Both types have a smooth, oily surface and, when cut, reveal a blackish-brown or purplish-black cross-section. These are considered the finest grades of agarwood.

    Overall, agarwood plays an indispensable role not only as a medicinal material but also in everyday life. To ensure the safety of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Chinese Medicine and Pharmacy Division has established standards for the allowable levels of sulfur dioxide, as well as limits for heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead. These regulations help ensure that the public can use these medicinal materials with confidence.

mage provided by Professor Zhang Xianzhe’s ‘Atlas of Authentic Medicinal Materials’ http://en.whatsintcm.com