Talk:Agarwood/Archive 1

Merger
This article and the following Arabic wikipedia page should be merged, as they refer to the same herb: https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B9%D9%88%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A8%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%B1 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.102.229.78 (talk) 20:18, 15 December 2016 (UTC)
 * Having separate articles on the same topic in different languages is a key feature of Wikipedia. Deli nk (talk) 20:33, 15 December 2016 (UTC)

Eaglewood
Surely the origin of the name eaglewood is more straightforward? Brya 17:35, 25 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Sadly no. Most of the incense ingrediants known in the "ancient" world is known by many names, either as mispronounciations of native names, interpretation of the item, interpretations of mispronouciations, or mispronouciations of mispronouciations. In the case of the western names of Agarwood, its all four. --Sjschen 20:41, 27 November 2005 (UTC)

Genus List
I'm also going to bring back the genus/species list. Until a different article gets created for the Agarwod plant instead of just for the resin, I think it should remain there just as a reference. --Sjschen 20:43, 27 November 2005 (UTC) I listed some of the genera under Formation. There is now a reasonable article at Aquilaria, so there is no need to go into great detail about the tree itself. --Bejnar 18:39, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

Agalloch (wood) Article Merge Proposal
I have no argument with merging agalloch (wood) with this article, it seems to be the proper place. I've made a link on the Agalloch article to this article as well to better facilitate the merge. --Bloodofox 22:22, 13 December 2005 (UTC)

I second the merge Sjschen 00:55, 18 December 2005 (UTC)

Where found
The lead states southeast Asia, which is a good summary for the lead. If someone wants to list all of the countries that produce agarwood, I suggest doing so under a Geographical distribution heading with a map. One such list reads: Buthan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia & Papua New Guinea. Although Singapore is an exporter of agarwood, it is unlikely that any is grown there. Since the trees exist on the island of Borneo, someone might see if they can find references to agarwood production from the non-Indonesian, non-Malaysia country there (Brunei). Also India should be added to any such list. See the various CITES documentation on Aquilaria if you wish to write this section. --Bejnar 17:30, 14 April 2007 (UTC)

Removed material February 2010
Some of this is duplicative, some of this sounds like a copyright violation, almost all of it was in the wrong place in the article, and it was signed. I have removed it here so that it can be mined for appropriate information and the sources, if reliable, used.s


 * Also known as aloeswood, eaglewood and gaharu, agarwood is a highlyprized wood and is used primarily for medicine, perfume and incense. Agarwood has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years in traditional East Asian medicine. Agarwood perfumes comprise agarwood oil mixed with a carrier such as sandalwood oil. 'Attar oil,' for example, is a water-based perfume containing agarwood oil that is normally used by Muslims to lace prayer clothes. Agarwood essences have also recently been used to fragrance soaps and shampoos. Agarwood is used in Arab countries (especially in the Persian Gulf) as incense. In Japan, it is used in Kōdō or "incense ceremony" along with Sandalwood. Agarwood (Aloeswood) was used by the Ancient Egyptians for embalming dead bodies. Agarwood extract is rarely used in western perfumery due to its prohibitive price. The TRAFFIC report Heart of the Matter revealed that over 700 tons of agarwood from one species alone, Aquilaria malaccensis, was reported in international trade in 1997, with Indonesia and Malaysia being the main exporters. From 1995 to 1997, Indonesia reported exporting 920 tons. Peninsular Malaysia recorded over 340 tons exported during the same period. This does not include export figures for Sarawak, which reached nearly 530 tons in 1998 alone. Due to its rarity and the high demand for it, agarwood and agarwood extracts bring high prices. Indiscriminate cutting of trees of the relevant species in the hope of finding agarwood has resulted in depletion of wild trees. One species has been CITES-listed. Projects are currently underway in some countries in southeast Asia to infect cultivated Aquilaria trees artificially to produce agarwood in a sustainable manner. In the past, Malaysia (formerly Malaya) was a popular spot for traders to seek perfumes. The native perfumes produced from real woods and petals from Malaya successfully attracted traders from all over the world, especially from Portugal and Britain. However, the popularity of agarwood in Malaysia faded after the colonization of Malacca . Today, gaharu (Malay word for agarwood) is becoming more popular in Malaysia. This is due to a movement by Professor Sulaiman Bin Doss Mohammed Khan, originating in Muar (district) Johor, to create awareness of the precious sources of agarwood in Malaysia. This kind of awareness is vital as Malaysia is rich in agarwood, deep in the jungles, mainly in Terengganu and Pahang. The government of Malaysia recently financed some agencies to continue research and development of gaharu. The goal is also to increase the trade of agarwood in Malaysia to levels such as those during the Malacca Sultanate centuries ago. Populations of eight species of Aquilaria have already declined to the point where they are considered threatened according to the IUCN Red List Categories. Of these, A. malaccensis is the only species protected from international trade under CITES, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. The species was listed in Appendix II of CITES in 1995. However, even this level of protection is facing difficulties. Under CITES, exports of the species must meet certain and specific biological and legal requirements. In many cases, the information needed to determine whether these criteria can be met is woefully inadequate or altogether absent. In many cases, exports are approved with very little information on the status of the species and knowing whether exploitation is within sustainable levels. --81.104.144.53 (talk) 02:22, 5 February 2010 (UTC)Anwar United Kingdom.

bible reference
this statement needs reference. --However, the Aloes of the Old Testament (Num. 24:6; Ps. 45:8; Prov. 7:17; and Cant. 4:14) and of the Hebrew Bible (ahalim in Hebrew) are believed to be agarwood from Aquilaria malaccensis.-- —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.161.191.63 (talk) 06:23, 3 July 2010 (UTC)

Removed text

 * Although being traditionally the most sought after fragrant in the Far East, Middle East and China, Agarwood (or 'Oud') oil still enjoys little attention in the West. There is, however, a niche market for collectors and connoisseurs, where Oud oil is considered amongst the most luxurious products available anywhere. Like many artistic endeavors, Oud oil has remained in the hands of those fortunate enough to be able to afford and appreciate its subtleties. Several major perfumers have started to incorporate Agarwood scents into their mainstream products, but never in its pure, unadulterated form. Several online vendors, too, offer Agarwood oils, but very rarely anything that does not contain some synthetic additives. Modern production methods has limited the market for pure essential Oud oil, where distillers are unable to offer large quantities without manipulating the process by introducing chemical additives. Consequently, the market for Oud oils has become tainted by the spread of such synthetic products being sold as 'Agarwood oil', where in fact, it hardly qualifies.


 * The above text was removed because it is unsubstantiated by citation, and gives the appearance of being original research by someone involved with the trade. If you can provide citation to reliable secondary sources for this material, please do so. --Bejnar (talk) 06:11, 9 September 2010 (UTC)

Lead image
Why is this article about agarwood illustrated by a photo specifically described in its caption as not showing agarwood? 130.179.29.59 (talk) 18:04, 4 April 2011 (UTC)
 * Point taken. The replacement pictures shows both the uninfected Aquilaria wood and the infected, darker, agarwood. --Bejnar (talk) 19:28, 4 April 2011 (UTC)

Any info on the actual cost?
"One of the reasons for the relative rarity and high cost of agarwood is the depletion of the wild resource" is stated in the article as if there was already some kind of previous mention to the high cost. To the contrary I don't see any reference to the modern cost of the wood anywhere in the entire article (which makes me wonder if the above quote was simply lifted from the source article where the modern cost and rarity might have actually been mentioned.) Does anyone have any info on the expense of the wood today? I'd read somewhere that this might be the most expensive wood. I couldn't find the Traffic Bulletin material online, maybe that can be sourced for some info on the modern cost. Dancindazed (talk) 06:10, 22 February 2012 (UTC)