Sandalwood Oil

Scientific Name(s): Santalum album L.
Common Name(s): East Indian sandalwood oil, Sandalwood, Santal oil, White or yellow sandalwood oil, White saunders oil

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jul 19, 2021.

Clinical Overview

Use

Sandalwood oil has been reported to have diuretic and urinary antiseptic properties, but clinical trial data are lacking. The oil has mainly been used as a fragrance enhancer.

Dosing

For the treatment of urological problems, a dose of 1 to 1.5 g daily is recommended for no more than 6 weeks. Sandalwood oil should be dosed in a resistant coating that protects against gastric secretions. The oil should not be ingested internally in its natural state.

Contraindications

None well documented.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Information regarding safety and efficacy in pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Sandalwood oil can cause dermatitis, although it is generally considered to be nonirritating to human skin.

Toxicology

Sandalwood oil has generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status as a flavoring agent in food by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers' Association, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also recognizes sandalwood oil as a natural flavoring.

Scientific Family

• Santalaceae

Botany

Indigenous to India and Indonesia, sandalwood is an evergreen tree that grows to 8 to 12 m in height and 2.5 m in girth.1 The bark is smooth and gray-brown in color, and the small flowers have numerous short stalks.

History

Sandalwood oil has a warm, woody odor and is commonly used as a fragrance in incense, cosmetics, perfumes, and soaps.1 It also is used as a flavoring for foods and beverages. The wood has been valued in carving because of its dense character.2, 3, 4

In traditional medicine, sandalwood oil has been used as an antiseptic and astringent, and for the treatment of headache, stomachache, and urogenital disorders. In India, the essential oil, emulsion, or paste of sandalwood is used in the treatment of inflammatory and eruptive skin diseases.5 The oil has been used in Ayurvedic medicinal system as a demulcent, diuretic, and mild stimulant.1 The leaves and bark of Santalum have been used by early Hawaiians to treat dandruff, lice, dermatitis, and sexually transmitted diseases.6 Sandalwood oil has also demonstrated repellency against the crop pest, Tetranychus urticae (two-spotted spider mite), with santalol suggested as the effective component.7

Chemistry

The essential oil of sandalwood is obtained from the heartwood of the tree.8 The light yellow, volatile oil contains about 90% santalols with 35% to 49% being alpha-santalol, 14% to 33% beta-santalol, 0% to 5% alpha-trans-bergamotol, and 1% to 7% epi-beta-santalol.9 The santalols are responsible for the pleasant odor of sandalwood, although 2-furfuryl pyrrole may also contribute an effect.2

The seeds yield about 50% of a viscid, dark red, fixed oil containing stearolic acid and santalbic acid. Gas chromatography "fingerprinting" of sandalwood oil has successfully analyzed the complex components.10

Uses and Pharmacology

Sandalwood is a fragrant wood from which an oil is derived for use in foods and cosmetics. T...