View: Full Text Article
Padma S1., Mamatha, N2., Sundararaj, R2., Prashanth, M2. and Nalini, U.R.2*
1Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore – 560012, India
2*ICFRE- Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Malleswaram Bangalore-560003, India
Email: nalini@icfre.org
Received-18.07.2026, Revised-05.08.2026, Accepted-25.08.2026
Abstract: Indian Sandalwood (Santalum album L.) is one of the most valuable plant species in the world that have been associated with human civilization for more than four millenia. This review aims to document the historical significance of sandalwood, its mythological background, cultural importance, economic value, and its traditional and scientific applications. Indian sandalwood has been widely celebrated and discussed abundantly in old Indian literary works like the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Vedas, and Arthasastra. It is being used extensively in different religious and spiritual practices of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism. Traditional uses of sandalwood are from birth till death, including homa and abhishekam in ceremonies, Ayurvedic medicine preparations like Chyawanprash, skincare products, and handcrafts. The efficacy of various traditional applications of sandalwood has been established by modern science through its pharmacological attributes like antitumor, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective effects. Main bioactive constituents are α- and β-santalols. Unfortunately, due to over exploitation for its cultural and economic importance, sandalwood has become a threatened species.
Keywords:Santalum album, Cultural heritage, Traditional, Pharmacological, Santalol, Handcraft, Bioactive
REFERENCES
Aftab, A., Sultana, S., Rashid, A., Akram, M. and Anwar, H. (2023). Santalum album: Medicinal and pharmacological properties. Journal of Medicine and Health Research, 8(1): 9–14.
Ahmed, N., Ali Khan, M.S., Mat Jais, A.M., Mohtarrudin, N., Ranjbar, M., Amjad, M.S., Nagaraju, B., Faraz, M., Pathan, F. and Chincholi, A. (2013). Anti-ulcer activity of Santalum album L. stem hydroalcoholic extract in three gastric ulceration models of Wistar rats. Boletín Latinoamericano y del Caribe de PlantasMedicinales y Aromáticas,12(1): 81–91.
Bakkiyaraj, S. and Pandiyaraj, S. (2011). Evaluation of potential antimicrobial activity of some medicinal plants against common food-borne pathogenic microorganisms. International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences, 2(2): 484–491.
Battaglia, S. (2007). The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. The International Centre of Holistic Aromatherapy, Brisbane, Australia.
Bommareddy, A., Hora, J., Cornish, B. and Dwivedi, C. (2007). Chemoprevention by α-santalol on UV-B radiation-induced skin tumor development in mice. Anticancer Research, 27: 2185–2188.
Bommareddy, A., Rule, B., Van Wert, A.L., Santha, S. and Dwivedi, C. (2012). α-Santalol induces apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells. Phytomedicine, 19: 804–811.
Burdock, G.A. and Carabin, I.G. (2008). Safety assessment of sandalwood oil (Santalum album L.). Food and Chemical Toxicology,46: 421–432.
Chaumont, J.P. and Bardey, I. (1989). Activities antifongiques in vitro de sept huilesessentielles. Fitoterapia,60: 263–266.
Dastur, J.F. (1962). Medicinal Plants of India and Pakistan. D.B. Taraporevala Sons and Co. Pvt. Ltd., Bombay.
Davis, P. (1999). Aromatherapy: An A–Z. 2nd ed. Daniel Company Ltd., Great Britain.
Deepak, T.K., Hegde, K., Hassainar, A. and Devi, S. (2014). Phytochemical screening and haemolytic activities of hydroalcoholic extract of Santalum album L. leaves. International Journal of Pharma Sciences and Research,5(8): 514–517.
Desai, V.B. and Hirenath, R.D. (1991). Pharmacological screening of HESP and sandalwood oil. Indian Perfumer, 35: 69–70.
Dhanya, B., Viswanath, S. and Seema, P. (2010). Sandal (Santalum album L.) conservation in southern India: A review of policies and their impacts. Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 48(1–2): 1–10.
Dikshit, A. and Hussain, A. (1984). Antifungal action of some essential oils against animal pathogens. Fitoterapia, 55: 171–176.
Dozmorov, M.G., Yang, Q., Wu, W., Wren, J., Suhail, M.M., Woolley, C.L., Young, D.G., Fung, K. and Lin, H. (2014). Differential effects of selective frankincense (Ru Xiang) essential oil versus nonselective sandalwood (Tan Xiang) essential oil on cultured bladder cancer cells: A microarray and bioinformatics study. Chinese Medicine,9: 18.
Dwivedi, C., Guan, X., Harmsen, W.L.,Voss, A. L., Goetz-Parten, D. E., Koopman, E. M., Johnson, K. M., Valluri, H. B. andMatthees, D. P.(2003). Chemopreventive effects of α-santalol on skin tumour development. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention,12: 151–156.
Dwivedi, C., Valluri, H.B., Guan, X. and Agarwal, R. (2006). Chemopreventive effects of α-santalol on UVB-induced skin tumour development. Carcinogenesis,27: 1917–1922.
Gowda, V.S.V., Patil, K.B. and Anilkumar, B.H. (2008). Natural sandalwood industry: Present scenario and future prospects. In: Gairola, S., Rathore, T.S., Joshi, G., Arunkumar, A.N. and Aggarwal, P.K. (Eds.), Proceedings of the National Seminar on Conservation, Improvement, Cultivation and Management of Sandal (Santalum album L.). Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru, India, pp. 196–203.
Hegde, K., Deepak, T.K. and Kabitha, K.K. (2014). Hepatoprotective potential of hydroalcoholic extract of Santalum album Linn. leaves. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, 6(3): 224–228.
Hettiarachchi, D.S., Liu, Y.D., Boddy, M.R., Fox, J.E.D. and Sunderland, V.B. (2013). Contents of fatty acids, selected lipids and physicochemical properties of Western Australian sandalwood seed oil. Journal of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, 90(2): 285–290.
Holmes, P. (1989). The Energetics of Western Herbs. Vol. II. Artemis Press, USA.
Imdorf, A., Bogdanov, S., Ibanez, O.R., Calderone, N.W. and Spivak, M.P. (1999). Use of essential oils for the control of Varroajacobsoni Oud. in honey bee colonies. Apidologie, 30: 209–228.
IUCN. (2000). Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Publications.
Jackson, D.D., Shiju, L., Jebasingh, D. and Huxley, V.A.J. (2009). Memory enhancement potential of Santalum album extracts on albino mice. Journal of Theoretical and Experimental Biology, 5: 3.
Jagetia, G.C. and Baliga, M.S. (2004). Evaluation of nitric oxide scavenging activity of certain Indian medicinal plants in vitro: A preliminary study. Journal of Medicinal Food, 7: 343–348.
Jirovetz, L., Buchbauer, G., Denkova, Z.,Stoyanova, A., Murgo, I., Gearon, V., Birkbeck, S., Schmidt, E. andGeissler, M. (2006). Antimicrobial activities of different sandalwood essential oils. Flavour and Fragrance Journal, 21: 465–468.
Jones, G.P., Rao, K.S., Tucker, D.J., Richardson, B., Barnes, A. and Rivett, D.E. (1995). Antimicrobial activity of santalbic acid from the oil of Santalumacuminatum (Quandong). Pharmaceutical Biology, 33: 120–123.
Kaikini, N.S. (1969). The Indian sandalwood. My Forest, 5: 27–39.
Kaur, M., Agarwal, C., Singh, R.P.,Guan, X., Dwivedi, C. and Agarwal, R. (2005). α-Santalol induces apoptotic death of human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells. Carcinogenesis, 26: 369–380.
Khan, M.S., Singh, M., Khan, M.A. and Ahmad, S. (2014). Protective effect of Santalum album on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 3(2): 2760–2771.
Kim, T.H., Ito, H., Hatano, T., Takayasu, J., Tokuda, H., Nishino, H., Machiguchi, T. and Yoshida, T. (2006). New antitumor sesquiterpenoids from Santalum album. Tetrahedron, 62: 6981–6989.
Kirtikar, K.R. and Basu, B.D. (1933). Santalum album. In: Basu, L.M. (Ed.), Indian Medicinal Plants. Vol. III, 2nd ed. Leader Road, Allahabad, pp. 2184–2188.
Koch, C., Reichling, J., Schneele, J. and Schnitzler, P. (2008). Inhibitory effect of essential oils against herpes simplex virus type 2. Phytomedicine, 15: 71–78.
Kraft, P., Bajgrowicz, J.A., Denis, C. and Fráter, G. (2000). Odds and trends: Recent developments in the chemistry of odorants. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 39(17): 2980–3010.
Kulkarni, C.R., Joglekar, M.M., Patil, S.B. and Arvindekar, A.U. (2012). Antihyperglycemic effect of Santalum album in diabetic rats. Pharmaceutical Biology, 50: 360–365.
Kumar, R., Anjum, N. and Tripathi, Y.C. (2015). Phytochemistry and pharmacology of Santalum album L.: A review. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 4(10): 1842–1876.
Lawless, J. (1999). The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Essential Oils. Element Books Ltd., Dorset, Great Britain, p. 214.
Lee, B., Bohmann, J., Reeves, T., Levenson, C. and Risinger, A.L. (2015). α- and β-Santalols interact with tubulin and cause cytotoxicity in oral cancer cells. Journal of Natural Products, 78(6): 1357–1362.
Matsuo, Y. and Mimaki, Y. (2010). Lignans from Santalum album and their cytotoxic activities. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 58: 587–590.
Matsuo, Y. and Mimaki, Y. (2012). α-Santalol derivatives from Santalum album and their cytotoxic activities. Phytochemistry, 77: 304–311.
Misra, B.B. and Dey, S. (2013a). TLC-bioautographic evaluation of in vitro anti-tyrosinase and anti-cholinesterase potentials of sandalwood oil. Natural Product Communications, 8: 253–256.
Misra, B.B. and Dey, S. (2013b). Shikimic acid (Tamiflu precursor) production in suspension cultures of East Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) in an air-lift bioreactor. Journal of Postdoctoral Research, 1: 1–9.
Misra, B.B. and Dey, S. (2013c). Evaluation of in vivoantihyperglycemic and antioxidant potentials of α-santalol and sandalwood oil. Phytomedicine,20: 409–416.
Neil, P.E. (1986). Sandalwood in Vanuatu. Forest Research Report No. 5/86, Vanuatu Forest Service.
Ochi, T., Shibata, H., Higuti, T.,Kodama, K., Kusumi, T. and Takaishi, Y. (2005). Anti-Helicobacter pylori compounds from Santalum album. Journal of Natural Products,68: 819–824.
Ohmori, A., Shinomiya, K., Utsu, Y.,Tokunaga, S., Hasegawa, Y. and Kamei, C. (2007). Effect of santalol on the sleep-wake cycle in sleep-disturbed rats. Nihon ShinkeiSeishinYakurigaku Zasshi,27: 167–171.
Pande, M.C. (1977). Medicinal oils and their importance. Medicine and Surgery, 17: 13–16.
Papaiah, S., Babu, V.R., Rao, T.S., Jackson, D.D. and Senthilkumar, K.L. (2010). Memory enhancing property of Santalum album L. in mice. Research Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics, 2(1): 94–96.
Patrick, L.O. and Timothy, J. (2002). Antioxidants in medicines and spices as cardioprotective agents in Tibetan highlanders. Pharmaceutical Biology, 40: 346–357.
Pedapati, S.H.S., Khan, M.I., Prabhakar, P. and Giridhar, P. (2012). Cyanidin-3-glucoside, nutritionally important constituents and in vitro antioxidant activities of Santalum album L. berries. Food Research International, 50(1): 275–281.
Purohit, P.M. (2018). Reviving the royal tree Santalum album. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies,6(2): 273–276.
Rashkow, E.D. (2014). Perfumed the axe that laid it low: The endangerment of sandalwood in southern India. The Indian Economic and Social History Review,51: 41–70.
Rippin, J. (1997). Aromatherapy for Health, Well-being and Relaxation. Lorenz Books, London, p. 30.
Roh, H.S., Lim, E.G., Kim, J. and Park, C.G. (2011). Acaricidal and oviposition-deterring effects of santalol identified in sandalwood oil against the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychusurticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae). Journal of Pest Science,84: 495–501.
Roh, H.S., Park, K.C. and Park, C.G. (2012). Repellent effect of santalol from sandalwood oil against Tetranychusurticae (Acari: Tetranychidae). Journal of Economic Entomology,105: 379–385.
Roy, S., Handique, G., Ahmed, R. and Muraleedharan, N. (2017). Sandalwood oil (Santalum album L.): Source of a botanical pesticide—present status and potential prospects. In: Nollet, L.M.L. and Rathore, H.S. (Eds.), Green Pesticides Handbook. CRC Press, Boca Raton.
Sandeep, C. and Manohara, T.N. (2019). Sandalwood in India: Historical and cultural significance. NeBIO, 10(4): 235–241.
Saneja, A., Kaushik, P., Kaushik, D., Kumar, S. and Kumar, D. (2009). Antioxidant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Santalum album Linn. Planta Medica,75: 102.
Santha, S. and Dwivedi, C. (2015). Anticancer effects of sandalwood (Santalum album). International Journal of Cancer Research and Treatment, 35(6): 3137–3145.
Scartezzini, P. and Speroni, E. (2000). Review on some plants of Indian traditional medicine with antioxidant activity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 71(1–2): 23–43.
Scartezzini, P., Antognoni, F., Raggi, M.A., Poli, F. and Sabbioni, C. (2006). Vitamin C content and antioxidant activity of Emblica officinalis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology,104(1): 3–8.
Schnitzler, P., Koch, C. and Reichling, J. (2007). Susceptibility of drug-resistant clinical herpes simplex virus type 1 strains to essential oils. Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy,51: 1859–1862.
Shankaranarayana, K.H., Ayyar, K.S. and Krishna Rao, G.S. (1980a). Insect growth inhibitor from the bark of Santalum album L. Phytochemistry, 19: 239–240.
Shankaranarayana, K.H., Ayyar, K.S. and Krishna Rao, G.S. (1980b). Chemical constituents of the bark of Santalum album L. Current Science,49: 198–199.
Sharma, M., Levenson, C., Clements, I.,Castella, P., Gebauer, K. and Cox, M.E. (2017). East Indian sandalwood oil (EISO) alleviates inflammatory pathologies of psoriasis. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 8: 125.
Sharma, R., Martins, N., Kuca, K. (2019). Chyawanprash: A traditional Indian bioactive health supplement.Biomolecules, 9: 1–26.
Shivatare, R.S., Musale, R., Lohakare, P.,Patil, D., Choudhary, D., Ganu, G., Nagore, D. H. and Kewatkar, S. M (2020). Isolation of ximenynic acid with anti-aging activity from Santalum album. International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences,11(2): 1394–1399.
Singh, C.U. and Nulu, J.R. (2010). Derivatives of sandalwood oil and santalol for treating cold sores and herpes. U.S. Patent No. 7858126.
Srinivasan, V.V., Sivaramakrishnan, V.R., Rangaswamy, C.R., Ananthapadmanabha, H.S. and Shankaranarayana, K.H. (1992). Sandal (Santalum album L.). Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru, India.
Sundararaj, R. (2026). Sandalwood Cultivation and Management: For Prosperity and Ecosystem. Astral International Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India, 363 pp. (ISBN 978-93-5919-748-7).
Sundararaj, R., Wilson, J.J. and Vimala, D. (2019a). Stem borers of Indian sandalwood (Santalum album Linn.) in Karnataka, India. Journal of the Indian Academy of Wood Science, 16(1): 31–35.
Sundararaj, R., Mondal, S. and Kantha Reddy, M. (2019b). Pruning effects on the health of Indian sandalwood (Santalum album Linn.) under agroforestry conditions of South India. American Journal of Plant Biology, 4(1): 1–6.
Vasundhara, M., Thara, B.S., Radhika, B., Ashwini, J. and Priyanka, R. (2015). Assessment of Indian sandalwood (Santalum album L.) seeds for seed oil production and fatty acid methyl esters. World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 4(11): 1416–1425.
Verghese, J., Sunny, T.P. and Balakrishnan, K.V. (1990). Alpha-santalol and beta-santalol: A new quality determination of East Indian sandalwood oil. Flavour and Fragrance Journal,5(4): 223–226.