OUD WOOD

There are a number of ahadith referring to agarwood, either used as incense or as a remedy. Our beloved Prophet reportedly said that al-ʿoud al-hindi contains seven cures, including one for pleurisy. One hadith in particular, narrated by Abu Huraira, describes Paradise where agarwood will be used.

In the publication Arabian Drugs in Early Medieval Mediterranean Medicine, it is described that in early medieval times, oud was imported from the lands of Sind and India along the Persian Gulf-Syrian Desert route. At the Persian port of Siraf, it was loaded onto ships and exported over sea to other parts of the world. Over twenty kinds of agarwood were mentioned in sources from this era, their names referring to their origin. Earlier named as a drug in Byzantine medical sources and by the 12th-century polymath Ibn Rushd, it was considered a hot and dry drug in the Unani Tibb tradition. The book teaches us further that an agarwood potion was swallowed to soothe upset stomachs, and cure liver problems and dysentery. Smearing agarwood ointments and massaging the ailing body with oud oil was thought to treat fever, itches, and respiration issues. It was also used to polish the teeth, protect the mouth and gums, boost the spirit, and calm the nerves.

From the early Islamic period on, oud was used as a liquid perfume and an incense. Disliked for its rather bitter fragrance before, it only became really popular under Abbasid reign. It was believed to kill lice and prevent them from breeding. Oud became one of the leading perfumes of the Islamic world, as described by the theologian and natural scientist al-Jahiz, the physician Ibn Masawayh, and the polymath al-Kindi. Some of the most precious—and expensive—perfumes were distilled out of musk, amberis, and oud. Highly esteemed in medieval Arabic literature and poetry, especially after the Islamic conquests, these were often sent to rulers as prestigious gifts.