Botanical Name:- Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.
Family:- Thymelaeaceae
Sanskrit:- अगरुः, अगरु
It is found in the Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Bhutan, the Khasia Hills, and the Sylhet region.
The tree is big, growing 20–23 meters tall and 1–2 meters wide. It has striped bark and stays green all year. The wood is soft, light, flexible, white or slightly yellowish, and has no strong smell. It doesn’t have clear growth rings. The wood has small to medium-sized vessels arranged in rows, with thread-like phloem between them. The center of the wood (heartwood) is not clearly different.
The leaves grow in pairs, are 5–10 cm long and 2–5 cm wide. They are large, smooth, and shaped like a lance or oval, with very short stems. The flowers are white and grow in bunches. The fruits are 3.5–5 cm long, oval-shaped, and covered with soft hairs.
This fragrant substance is found here and there in the wood of older trees. It forms as a result of a special kind of fungus (called Fungi Imperfecti). This might be why people in the past called it “wormy.” The affected wood turns dark, oily, and looks different. Trees with this change can often be spotted from far away. It usually appears more in areas where the branches split
Sylhet agar is known to be good. Its color can range from light to dark black, depending on how much oil it contains. A resin-like substance collects in the soft wood’s pores.
Many writers have described different types of agar, but the best kind is black in color, heavy, sticky when chewed, sinks in water, and burns easily with a match. It tastes bitter, astringent (drying), and oily. When burned, it gives off a mild, sweet smell.
A lot of agar perfume is made in Sylhet. It is taken from lower-quality, soft, yellowish-white agar, and gives about 0.75% to 2.5% oil. One type of agar tree, Aquilaria malaccensis (A. malaccensis Lam.), produces a lower-quality agar.
Special Note: In ancient India, agar was used as a perfume, in incense, and as a cooling ointment. Although bitter, it is also considered warm in nature.
According to Acharya Sushruta, agar oil helps clean bad wounds, fights fungus, and has a drying effect (Su. Ch. 45). But he also says that if a person’s wound smells like agar, it is a sign they may be near death (Su. Ch. 28).
Another ancient scholar, Vagbhata, called it a chemical (or medicine). Agar is used to make incense sticks (agarbatti), and in Assam, its bark is also used to make paper.
Because true agar is hard to find, other liquids are sometimes used instead, but they don’t have any scent.
These substitutes include:
- Dysoxylum labaricum – also known as White Aguru (Kottakal).
- Vepris bilocularis – also called Krishna Aguru.
- Anaphalis neelgerriana – known as Gujarati Aguru in the Nepali Nighantu.
Chemical composition:
Agar contains a type of scented oil (called volatile oil) that can dissolve in ether, and a type of resin that dissolves in alcohol but not in ether. About 48% of the material dissolves in alcohol.
Properties and Uses:
Agar is hot, aromatic, and energizing. It helps the nervous system (especially related to vata), and is useful for breathing problems, cough, cold, digestion, and skin diseases.
- For joint pain: It is given for gout and rheumatism, and can be applied as a paste on swollen joints (like in arthritis).
- For fever: A decoction (boiled mixture) of agar helps reduce fever, lowers thirst, and makes the patient feel refreshed.
- For nerve issues: Taken by mouth for dizziness, paralysis, and other nervous system problems. It can also be used as a paste on the body.
- For hiccups: A small amount of agar powder mixed with honey helps stop hiccups.
- For digestion: The powder is used to treat indigestion, loss of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, and dysentery.
- For children’s cough and headache:
A mixture of agar and Ishwarmool is ground and applied to the chest to relieve headache and cough in children.
Because it helps reduce itching and burning, it is rubbed with water and applied to skin problems like redness (erythema), dermatitis, lichen planus, thickened skin (elephant skin), and boils.
It is also useful for rheumatic pain and helps get rid of lice and similar issues. - Agarwood perfume:
Putting 1–2 drops of agarwood perfume on a betel leaf helps reduce bad breath.
For aphrodisiac purposes (to increase desire), aged agar perfume is also given with betel leaf.
Dosage:
- Powder: ½ to 2 grams
- Perfume: 1 to 2 drops