Agar wood when burnt emits a soothing aroma, which calms the nerves. Many people, Arabs and Parsis particularly, seeb to be highly influenced with this fragrance.
The fragrant agar wood is not obtained from all the trees of this species. It occurs rarely in some branches that fork out from the stem of only certain trees.
It is interesting to note that it is only the trained eyes of certain tribals like the Garos, that easily spot the right trees among hundreds of others. The rest of the ‘non-professional’ agar hunters who have not cultivated this tribal sense, may end up felling trees unnecessarily, thus jeopardizing forests and the eco systems.
Agar wood is sold in form of blocks, chips or splinters. True agar is hard, brown and loaded with aromatic oleo-resins, whose odor is comparable to that of ambergris or sandal wood.
Sylhet agar, a variety of agar, possesses almost all three characteristic and hence fetches a higher premium. Another variety, Dhum, much softer and yellowish white in color is much cheaper and commercially of not much use.
Agar attar, aromatic oil obtained from agar wood, is as expensive as the Otto of roses. It is valuable perfume sought all over the world. The famous perfumers of Europe and America use it for enhancing the effect of their best grade scents and perfumes.
In Folk Medicine
Agar is stimulant, carminative and a cardiac tonic. It imparts heat to the body, increases bile secretion, cures fatigue, fevers, headache, itching, migraine, nausea, lack of taste, vata-aggravation etc. Powdered agar wood is used in many concoctions such as medicated jams, used by native doctors in treating their clientele. In Malaysia, it is used as liniment for various skin diseases, besides being used as a cosmetic preparation.
During epidemics such as those of small pox or malaria, there is a practice in many village of Tamil Nadu to burn agar wood and raise a thick smoke. The patients suffering from cold, cough and toxic fevers who inhale the smoke are believed to overcome all such problems, caused by the wrath of goddesses.
Indian agar also finds its way into China, where it is largely used as incense and in the manufacture of joss- sticks.
In Tradition
Body odor: Rub the agar sticks on a smooth stone with a little milk or rosewater and apply the paste so obtained all over the body before bathing.
Flabbiness in the body: Make a fine paste of agar and apply all over the body.
Fever due to pitta-aggravation or heat: Boil 1 inch agar wood in 3 cups of eater in an earthen pot, till the volumes is reduced to half. Allow it to cool. Take 1 to 2 tsp.
Fleas and lice: Dust all over the affected parts of the skin with fine agar powder frequently.
Burning sensation in the body, liver problems, loss of appetite, vomiting nausea: Burn some agar pieces and inhale the smoke.
Wrinkles and flabbiness in the body, liver problems, loss of appetite, vomiting nausea: Make a paste of agar by grinding it with milk and apply all over the face and body. Repeat it every day.
Asthma, breathlessness, migraine, ailments of ear, nose and throat. : Boil 5 cups of agar pieces in 2 liters of water till the volume is reduced to liter. To this, add 1 liter each of cow’s milk and gingerly oil and boil till the moisture is removed from the mixture. Now add ½ cup each of finely powdered vibhitaki rinds and liquorices root. Cool, after and bottle the oil. Use this oil once or twice a week as massage oil for the scalp and after massaging the head thoroughly allow it to remain for 20-25 minutes before washing.
A Word of caution
Ayurvedic material medicas mention two varieties of agar wood: black and white. In the southern parts of the country, the white agar( Dysoxylum malabaricum) is in use. Many physicians, however, consider the black variety as the possessor of all the medicinal properties of agar.
Agar Hair oil
Soak 4 cups of broken chips of agar in 2 liters of water over night. Next day boil water along with the chips till the volume of water is reduced to ½ liter. Now separate the chips and grind them into a fine paste. Remix this paste with decoction of wood Boil for 10 minutes and filter. To the filtrate so obtained, add ½ liter of each of coconut oil, cow’s milk and heat the mixture. Add 1 cup each of zedoary and the rinds of vibhitaki and 2 cups each of flowers of aavaram and Southernwood and ¼ tbsp saffron. Boil all the ingredients for 10 minutes and cool. Take out clear oil and bottle.
The hair oil is reported to be quite useful for avoiding premature graying hair. It is also believed to be useful for those suffering from any blockage of the nose, dropsy and venereal diseases.
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