Sandalwood Oil

andalwood oil is an essential oil obtained from the steam distillation of chips and billets cut from the heartwood of various species of sandalwood trees (eg. Santalum album and S. spicatum). Sandalwood oil is used in perfumes, cosmetics, and sacred unguents. Sandalwood essential oil is used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of both somatic and mental disorders. A study investigating the effects of inhalation of East Indian sandalwood oil and its main compound, α-santalol, on human physiological parameters found that the compounds elevated pulse rate, skin conductance, and systolic blood pressure. Sandalwood oil and α-santalol have been associated with chemopreventive activity in animal models of carcinogenesis.