“‘As if to prove that love would conquer hate, the sandalwood perfumes the very axe that lays it low.” Rabindranath Tagore

The Sandal tree is highly regarded in the Vedic texts, and the heartwood is considered to be sacred. It is said that chandana, or Indra’s Sandalwood tree, scents the whole of paradise with its fragrance. Sandalwood is considered the epitome of excellence, imparting fragrance even to the axe that cuts it. For this reason anything that is excellent is referred to as chandana. It is used in sacred ceremonies and to purify holy places.

Sandalwood is a truly sacred ritual herb that also has many therapeutic effects. It helps reduce acne. Acne scars can be removed by regularly applying a mixture of sandalwood powder, coconut oil and lime juice (taken in equal parts). Leave the paste on skin overnight. When dealing with pimples, boils, or psoriasis, boil three cups of water mixed with a teaspoon of sandalwood powder.Red sandalwood has many uses for your hair, feet, skin and a variety of ailments. It helps promote a clean and clear skin tone, and maintain a good complexion.

Make a paste to treat your pimples using red sandalwood powder, turmeric and water. As a night time treatment, apply the paste on to your pimples. Add a small piece of camphor to the formula for a cooling affect. Your pimples should fade away within a few hours.

Combining coconut oil, almond oil and sandalwood powder makes a great toner. Apply the combination to all of the exposed parts on your face. The toner will keep your skin tone balanced. This combination can also remove an unwanted suntan.

Red Sandalwood Powder, also known as Rakta Chandana Powder, has been used in Ayurvedic medicine as an antiseptic, wound-healing agent, and as an anti-acne treatment. Red Sandalwood Powder can be made into a paste with honey and water and used directly on the face. It can also be combined with ashwagandha and cosmetic clays or mud for a detoxifying facial.

Sandalwood paste (made from mixing water with Sandalwood powder) has a calming, cooling effect on body and mind. It helps relieve fever and burns, and stops excessive sweating. In general it relieves Pitta dosha and helps balance the body after overexposure to the sun. The oil or the paste can help heal skin diseases such as infectious sores, ulcers, acne and rashes. Sandalwood powder helps smooth and cool the skin, and can be made into a paste, lotion or soap for cleansing, calming and hydrating sensitive or aging skin. Sandalwood acts as a disinfectant, diuretic, expectorant and sedative. It is bitter, sweet, astringent and cooling. Sandalwood balances the circulatory, digestive, respiratory and nervous systems.

It is used to balance digestion and skin health, and also helps balance purification through the sweat glands and skin. It is found in Radiant Skin, Vital Lady, Liver Balance and Prostate Protection. Please note that three of these — Radiant Skin, Liver Balance and Prostate Protection — contain both Sandalwood and Red Sandalwood (listed as Red Saunders). Red Sandalwood also is used as a dye, as incense, and as a decorative powder in sacred ceremonies.

There are many esoteric uses of sandal in Tantra and puja as well as alchemy. Look for our partner Forest Sister’s Sandalwood soap in the skin section.

All the above statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease