the story of agar by n. raghu ram

1Document No.:2400 246 16 303 ‘AGAR’ the black Gold

Sampada Farms & ConsultantsSecunderabad-3

Ph.: 040 277 21 868, Fax: 040 278 11 087e mail: [email protected]

November, 2004

Pieces of Agar wood from forest trees

EMPEROR OF PERFUMES – “AGAR”By N. Raghu Ram

The story of the Indian fragrant wood AGAR, dates back to the epic times of

Ramayana with allusions to the Vedic era. As per the Susruta Samhita agar can

be used as perfume, as fumigant in surgeries and for worship. In those times,

agaru came largely from the tree Acquilaria agallocha. Through out Malaysia

and Indonesia agar was called by the name GAHARU, a Malay word derived from

the much older Sanskrit term AGARU meaning “heavy”. The scented wood was

given that name in Sanskrit because, indeed, a high quality piece of Agaru will

sink in water. In Islamic world it is called as ‘ud (pronounced as ood), simply

‘wood’ in Arabic.




November, 2004

There is mention of the use of Agar in Abhijnanmam Shakuntalam of Kalidasa

and Arthashastra of Chanakya.

Agar is inextricably linked to Assam’s rich cultural heritage. In antiquity, Assam’s

monarchs employed the used bark of the Sasi Agar tree for chronicling their

royal circulars and diktats.

The first historical biographies in Sanskrit –the Harsha Charita written by Bana in

652 AD also chronicles the fact that among the many gifts sent by Assamese

king Bhaskara Varman to Harsha, volumes of fine writing in leaves made from

aloe bark and black aloe oil occupied a very prominent place. The Nowgong

grant of Balavarman gives a graphic description of Pragjyotisha Nagara where

areca nuts are wrapped in leaves of creeper of betel-plants and Krishnaguru

(Telugu for Agarwood) or black agar wood trees were surrounded with

cardamom creepers. It is also recorded that after conquering the last king Gaur

Gobind in 1348AD, in Sylhet, Saint Fakir Ali Shah Jalal and his followers found

agar wood and agar attar along with many other valuables in the royal store.

This clearly indicates that distillation of agar oil was done as far back as 13th

century or even much earlier. Abul Fazal Allami in his Ain-I-Akbari (memoirs of

Emperor Akbar) written in 1590 AD gives a vivid description of agar wood and




November, 2004

agar oil along with their manufacturing process and uses. It is also said that the

Mughals invaded Assam mainly for agaru. Such was it lure!!

From Kamrup Agaru was exported to the Middle East, most probably by Chinese

traders through the Silk Route which extended from China to Middle-east

through Kamrup and then India. In those days agaru was the main cosmetic

item.

The first recorded trading interest was from the Chinese, who were busy traders

of the fragrant wood during the 1st century in South East Asia. The chief sources

are Aquilaria malaccensis and Aetoxylon sympetalum.

The Chinese roll in the agar (‘ud) has been significant since the Han Dynasty

(206 BC – 220AD), when Imperial perfume blenders used it along with cloves,

musk, costus root oil and camphor. Like the Indians, the Chinese named the

wood for its density, calling it cb’en Hsiang, “the incense that sinks in water”. In

those days, ‘ud was sorted as many as 20 different grades. Responding to the

increasing domestic and international demand for ‘ud Chinese traders, ventured

into Annan now part of Vietnam where they found top quality trees in

abundance.




November, 2004

This new source of supply allowed them to become wholesale dealers and middle

men and to this day they retain this position world wide.

As mentioned in the 12th - 13th Chinese Sea Trade Manuals the search for ‘ud

had intensified, tracing it to Hainan Island, parts of present day Vietnam, lands

about the Malay peninsula, Cambodia and the islands of Sumatra & Java.

As per this manuals, the greater interest of the Muslim community as custom to

wake up, bathe and perfume themselves with the ‘ud smoke before going to the

mosque for the morning prayer.

Cross section of a tree showing dark regions of agar formed inside




November, 2004

In the modern era, 1935 reference, the ‘ud or Agar was described in scientific

terms by the “Dictionary of Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula” as the

agar is an aromatic resin deposit found in certain species of Aquilaria trees.

especially Aquilaria malaccensis, accordingly the resin is produced by the tree as

an immune response to a fungus (Phialophora parasitica) that invades the tree

and over many years spreads through it. It is these diseased sections of the tree

that are collected by people in the jungles of south east Asia-by Isac H.Burkill,

the author of the dictionary.

The collecting tribes men usually look for a agar wood tree by spending a week

or more and after making sure of the identity, they make a series of shallow

exploratory cuts into its trunk, branches and roots; they cut it down only when

they are persuaded the tree has the fungus and will yield a reasonable amount

of good agar. If the tree contains only low grade of agar they will often let it

grow for another few years before retesting it. If they decided to cut it down

they will spend days extracting agar and cleaning it with smaller knives.

Now a days the agar is getting more difficult to find because large scale logging

operations have destroyed many of the hill forests in entire south east Asia

where the agar trees are found. If the collecting tribes men have good luck they

may collect a kilo of an average quality in three to four days- but it is

increasingly common for them to return with nothing or with very lowest grades.




November, 2004

The need for research into this dwindling valuable resource is compelling. Except

in Nagaland, there is no Agar left in India. Traditional sources are drying up.

Reserves in Kalibanthan and Salabasi in Indonesia are also diminishing day by

day. Fortunately for traders, new sources have been discovered in Maraoca near

Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, Laos and parts of Java.

The best grade of agar is hard, nearly black and very heavy. In general agar

becomes inferior as it appears lighter in tone, flecked with diminishing amounts

of resin. The only truly reliable way to test for quality however, is to burn a

small bit and evaluate the complexity and richness of the smoldering wood. Agar

oil can be taste tested. Touch a bit to the tongue and a bitter taste points to high

quality.




November, 2004

Some thirty years ago Hong Kong played an important roll in the agar trade but

today the international hub for agar is Singapore. There Chinese traders,

receiving agar from agents scattered across Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,

Thailand, Borneo, Hainan Island and most recently Irian Jaya of Indonesia,

dominate the business. At present the rarest and expensive type, know as

Keenam comes from Vietnam.

In Singapore and in International trade agar is called as ‘ud and it is graded in

descending quality from Super AA (which is weighed on a jewellers scale) to

Super A, Super and lesser grades numbered 1 through 8. The lowest quality,

called Kandulam (in Malay) is used to make incense sticks, selling roughly 3 US

cents a gram (1998). The value of ‘ud shipped out of Singapore each year has

been estimated to exceed US$ 1.2 billion (1998).

In Dubai, there are entire streets lined up shops selling ‘Ud. Among them the

most noted family company ‘Ajmal Co.’ as one of the largest dealers in pure and

blended ‘Ud perfumes in all of the middle east. From their 22 shops through out

Arabian Peninsula, they sell ‘Ud oil from Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Their most extravagant creation being a blend of aged ‘Ud oils called ‘Dahanal

Oudh al-Moattaq’, the price US$850 (1998) per 30gms bottle.




November, 2004

Given the popularity of the ‘Ud, its high price and the difficulty of the collecting it

from the wild, quite a few Institutions and Perfumery Units spread across South

east Asia have started to look into the possibility – artificially introducing the ‘Ud

fungus into Aquilaria’ trees in hopes of creating commercial ‘Ud plantations.

Tailpiece!

Botanists call it Aquillaria, manufacturers call it Agaru, traders call it Profit, thepoor call it Survival, and the common man simply calls it Agar.




November, 2004

What is Agarwood?Agarwood is a resinous wood that sometimes occurs in trees belonging to the

Aquilaria genus, Thymelaeceae family. A nonprofit organization dedicated to the

reservation of the worlds forests. has studied the formation of resin in Aquilaria

trees and found a method to produce the resin in plantation grown young trees.

This technique consists of wounding trees in a specific manner and applying

treatments to accelerate the natural defense responses of the tree. The

technique allows a sustainable yield of resin to be produced in relatively young

trees. Agarwood is a high value forest product that is easy to store and ship. Our

newly developed methods to produce resin will provide a new economic non-

timber product for Southeast Asia and other tropical regions of the world.

Aquilaria is a fast-growing, archaic tropical forest tree, which occurs in South and

Southeast Asia, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the rainforests of Papua

New Guinea. The tree grows in natural forests at an altitude of a few meters

above sea level to about 1000 meters, and it grows best around 500 meters. It

can grow on a wide range of soils, including poor sandy soil. Seedlings need a lot

of shade and water. Trees grow very fast, and start producing flowers and seeds

as early as four years old. At least fifteen species of Aquilaria trees are known to

produce the much sought-after Agarwood. In South Asia Aquilaria achalloga is

found, particularly in India, Aquilaria malaccensis is mostly known from Malaysia

and Indonesia, and Aquilaria crassna principally grows in Indochina. A number of

other species are known such as Aquilaria grandfolia, Aquilaria chinesis etc.




November, 2004

UsageThe “Wood of the Gods” has been traded and highly appreciated for thousands

of years. Resinous wood is used as incense, for medicinal purposes, and pure

resin in distilled form is used as perfume and perfume component. Outside

native countries it is most widely known in the Middle East, China, Taiwan and

Japan. A strong connection exists between use, religion and curative properties,

and elaborate traditional and religious ceremonies are known from around the

world. Faith healers in the Middle East use it at curative ceremonies, Japanese

pilgrims donate flowers and Agarwood oil to Shinto-Buddhist temples, and

Vietnamese religious groups are obliged to bring Agarwood to ceremonies at

their temples in Mekong delta communities.

ValueThe value of first-grade Agarwood is extremely high. A whole range of qualities

and products is on the market varying with geographical location and cultural

deposition. Prices range from a few dollars per kilo for the lowest quality to over

thirty thousand US dollars for top quality oil and resinous wood. Aquilaria crassna

is listed as an endangered species in Viet Nam, and A. malaccensis is listed as

endangered by the World Conservation Union, IUCN.




November, 2004

ExtinctionResin producing trees are endangered throughout their known habitat all across

Southeast Asia. The main driving force, which initiated this project, was the

recognition of unsustainable Aquilaria harvesting in natural forests that resulted

in the near extinction of this tree genus in Viet Nam and elsewhere. Aquilaria

crassna is now listed as a protected species in Viet Nam, and Aquilaria

malaccensis is a CITES red data book listed tree. Trade and harvesting

restrictions will be virtually impossible to achieve if no alternative is developed to

forest-based harvesting. In addition, both in the short and long-term, a natural

resource base needs to be maintained to supply present and future Aquilaria

plantations with genetic source material, in order to prevent plant decease,

maintain diversity and possibly improve resin production.

SubstitutesDevelopment of synthetic substitutes usually arises when sustainable supplies of

the natural product are not available. One of the first questions pursued when

contemplating the previous pilot project was: “is it possible to synthesize

Agarwood and Agarwood oil?” The answer is a qualified no. Agarwood cannot be

synthesized. Chemical substitutes are already available for perfume; these are

cheap and constitute the least profitable end of the market.

In addition, these products do not come even close in mimicking the natural

product and thus do not pose a threat to producing naturally based Agarwood

products.




November, 2004

The major chemical components responsible for the characteristic scent of

Agarwood products, sesquiterterpenes, can in principle be synthesized. However,

these are very complicated structures that will be extremely expensive to

synthesize, which makes it commercially completely unattractive.

Bibliography

1. Ramayana

2. Susruta Samhita

3. Abhijnana Shakuntalam

4. Arthashastra

5. Harsha Charita

6. Ain-I-Akbari

7. Dictionary of Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula

8. The wealth of India

9. Vasthu Guna Dipika

10. Hidden History of Agar by Eric Hansen

Compiled byMr. N. Raghu RamM/s. Sampada Farms & Consultants, Secunderabad.Kindly send your comments to [email protected] Please note that due to variousfactors Agar wood plantation is not advisable without proper understanding the tree and theformation process of Agar.

the story of agar by n. raghu ram

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