Aloeswood, also known as honey fragrance, sinking water fragrance, or Qinan fragrance, is a resinous wood from the plant Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg of the Thymelaeaceae family. It can be harvested throughout the year by cutting the resinous wood and removing the non-resinous parts, which are then dried in a shady area.
[Processing Method] According to the "Elbow Emergency Prescription": "Grind it into small pieces like mung beans." According to the "Pediatric Medicine Certificate Direct Method": "Crush it." "Pound it." According to the "Materia Medica Tong Xuan": "Grind it into fine powder, avoiding heat exposure." Currently, the original medicinal material is taken, the dead white wood is removed, cleaned with a brush, and then cut into small pieces, pounded or planed into thin slices, or ground into fine powder.
[Characteristics of the medicinal slices] It appears as irregular small pieces or extremely thin slices or fine powder. Some small pieces or thin slices may have holes and streaks of black-brown resin alternating with the wood. When burned, it exudes oil and has a strong fragrance with a bitter taste. The fine powder is gray-brown to brown powder with a fragrant aroma.
[Quality requirements] The extract shall not be less than 15.0% as determined by hot immersion method using 75% ethanol.
[Processing function] Aloeswood has a pungent and bitter taste, and a slightly warm nature. It enters the kidney, spleen, and stomach meridians. It has the functions of promoting qi circulation, relieving pain, warming the middle, descending rebellious qi, and calming wheezing. It is mainly used for chest and abdominal distension and pain, stomach cold-induced vomiting, belching, and rebellious qi caused by kidney deficiency. For example, the "Aloeswood Four Grind Decoction" (from "Weisheng Jiabao") is used to treat cold qi attacking the Chongmai and causing severe abdominal pain; the "Aloeswood Descending Qi Decoction" (from "Pharmacopeia") is used to treat stagnation of yin and yang, impaired qi movement, chest and diaphragm obstruction, abdominal distension, and shortness of breath; the "Cold Fragrance Decoction" (from "Danliao Jiyuan Fang") is used to treat chronic heart pain; the "Two Immortals Pill" (from "Dantai Yuan An") is used to treat various asthma conditions. Processing makes the medicinal material clean and facilitates formulation and preparation.
