Sandalwood
Sandalwood is the heartwood of trees in the Santalaceae family, with a creamy, sweet, and uplifting fragrance. Together with agarwood, it is known as "chen and tan" and is an essential material for Buddhist rituals and incense blending.
Alias: zhantan, baitan, laoshan tan (referring to old Mysore material from India).
Source: The heartwood of semi-parasitic trees in the Santalum genus of the Santalaceae family. It must parasitize other trees to form incense, hence its preciousness.
Origin: India (laoshan tan is the best), Australia (xinshan tan), Indonesia, and various Pacific islands.
Fragrance: Creamy and sweet, warm and mellow, directly penetrating the nose; unlike the "subtlety" of agarwood, sandalwood tends to be "uplifting."
Uses: Buddhist incense (sandalwood is the most revered), blended incense (helps agarwood release fragrance), carving, medicinal use (regulates qi and harmonizes the stomach).
Difference between agarwood and sandalwood
Agarwood is 'sinking and subtle', sandalwood is 'uplifting and sweet'; in blended incense, agarwood is often the sovereign and sandalwood the minister, one sinking and one uplifting, complementing each other. SeeThe Way of Blended Incense。