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Under certain conditions agarwood trees (Aquilaria agallocha) produce an aromatic resin. The resinous aromatic wood are highly regarded as a traditional medicine and incense ingredient, while the distilled oil is valued as an exotic perfume ingredient. The oil and incense are thought to possess magical powers of attracting love, prosperity, and good fortune; they are euphorically relaxing in a way that enhances meditation and mental clarity.

The demand for high-quality agarwood has led to unregulated plundering of the trees from most of the forest areas of mountainous tropical Southeast Asia, and the tree is now considered endangered. Floracopeia supports a small reforestation and distillation project in Assam, India, historically considered to be the source of the best wood and oil. The family we purchase from has been replanting the trees in groves on private properties for about thirty years, and is now harvesting and distilling small amounts of superb oil.

We are pleased to support this important project, which has started to bring increased economic prosperity to the region, along with education about preserving this unique and important species from uncontrolled poaching. We are especially grateful to the members of this family for their courage and dedication to this cause; as is often the case with endangered species, they have been subjected to harassment by the eco-mafias that have operated in the area for years.

Attars are essential oils distilled into a base of sandalwood oil. The sandalwood preserves and enhances the fragrance of the oils, and acts as a fixative for the for the more delicate floral notes.

Attars are the traditional perfumes of India. They are laboriously hand-crafted, using ancient distillation methods. These methods, which produce superior grade products, are being abandoned because of competition from cheaper, synthetic, low-quality substitutes.

Trees produce many valuable resins and essential oils. These substances are part of a tree's immune system, helping to repel damaging insects, protect against fungal infections, and assist healing processes. When extracted and distilled, the aromatic oils from trees can be used for the same purposes in human health. Resins and oils from trees such as frankincense, myrrh, cedar, pine, spruce, fir, and many others have always been part of traditional ethnobotanical pharmacopeias.

Aromatic trees purify the surrounding atmosphere of the forest. In the same way, their oils and resins have a long history of use as sacred incenses for purifying the atmosphere of the home. This combination of atmospheric purification and immune enhancing properties have made some resins, such as frankincense and myrrh, so highly valued that they were traded far and wide for a thousand years, bringing wealth to the regions where they grew.

Aromatic grasses and their roots are important sources of essential oils. Oils distilled from grasses such as vetiver, palmarosa, gingergrass, citronella, and jamrosa are high in compounds that are valued in the food and flavoring industries. These oils have also been found to have important therapeutic medical applications.

Aromatic grasses are medicines for the earth as well as for people. They hold the topsoil and prevent erosion, capture the rain and help recharge groundwater, prevent flooding, and detoxify environmental contamination. In areas where water is scarce, these fragrant grasses provide important sources of income from the distillation of their oils and industries based on their fibers.

Many trees offer flowers of exquisite beauty and fragrance. Traditionally, aromatic trees were planted in and around temple grounds. The intoxicating perfume produced by the blossoming flowers helped uplift the spirits and open the hearts of those who came to worship and meditate. For this reason, many of the religious scriptures of Asian cultures taught that trees were gifts from the heavenly realms. It could also be said that the beauty and fragrance of their flowers help lift our senses into higher realms of health, happiness, and wellbeing.

Flowers from trees have a long history of use in traditional ethnobotanical pharmacopeias. Champa, keora, parijata, and others have all been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicinal formulations, and are regarded as having a wide range of beneficial effects.