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Sandalwood
檀香 〔檀香〕tán xiāng
Latin pharmacognostic name: Santali Albi Lignum
Alternate Chinese names: 真檀 zhēn tán
Kingdom: Plant
Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Santalum album L. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)
Origin (other sources): Santalum album L.
Use: Medicinal
Category: Qì-rectifying agents
Properties: Acrid; warm.
Channel entry: Spleen, stomach, and lung channels.
Indications:
Moves qì and relieves pain, disperses cold and harmonizes the center: Cold pain in the chest and abdomen; cold pain in the stomach and stomach duct with vomiting and reduced food intake.
Dosage & Method: Oral: 1–3g in decoctions, added at the end. Also used in powders and pills.
Warnings: Use with care in yīn vacuity with effulgent fire and in vomiting of blood (blood ejection) or nosebleed due to repletion heat.
Product Description: Sandalwood comes in chunks of varying lengths, often prepared commercially in lumps 4 cm long, 1 cm wide and 2–5 mm thick. The color is a pale yellow-brown. The wood is solid and heavy but is easy to chop. It has a distinctive long-lasting smell. The decocting pieces are planed off slices.
Quality: The best quality is heavy and hard, with a strong aroma.
Product Area: India, Africa, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia, cultivated in Guǎngdōng, Táiwān.
Etymology: The name tán xiāng 檀香, literally sandal aroma,
reflects the distinctive aroma of this product. The character 檀 is said to be derived from 亶 (shàn), meaning 善 (shàn), good,
sandal being a good wood.