Introduction to SECOIN Agarwood products

[Dinh xuan Ba]

Introduction%20to%20SECOIN%20agarwood.pdf

SECOIN AGARWOOD PRODUCTS

ABOUT AGARWOOD

Agarwood is a mystical and precious resinous wood formed in heartwood of Aquilaria tree, an archaic tropical evergreen tree native to Golf of Tonkin, Vietnam and other 14 countries of Asia. Among 26 species of Aquilaria trees that can possibly give Agarwood, the most valuable species is Aquilaria crassna Pierre whose cradle is HaTinh province of Vietnam, where SECOIN HATINH CO., LTD. (belonging to SECOIN Agroforestry Division, SECOIN Applied Biology Center) is located. Apart from Aquilaria genus, there are also six genera that can probably produce Agarwood: Gyrinops, Gonystylus, Aetoxylon, Phaleria, Wikstroemia, Enkleia in which at least Gyrinops is existing in Vietnam too.

The Aquilaria tree generally grows up to 40 meters high and 80 centimeters in diameter. Some wild trees become randomly infected with some parasite fungi or molds and begin to produce Agarwood in heartwood due to immune response to this attack. But this biologic process develops very, very slowly over several tens of years. Not all Aquilaria trees produce agarwood, only approximately 10% of wild mature Aquilaria tree ( from the age of 20 years onwards and with above 40 cm diameter at breast height ) can naturally produce resin. The ecological interaction between the host tree and the fungi and/or molds in order to produce Agarwood is poorly understood. Other factors such as the age of the tree, differences in the tree caused by seasonal variation, environmental variation and genetic variation of Aquilaria trees may also play an important role in agarwood formation. Newly created scientific achievements and trial treatments implemented by Robert Blanchette, Pheeraphan Wijitphan, Ho Ngoc Vinh, SECOIN Applied Biology Center, Truong Thanh Khoan,…have shown that Agarwood formation can occur in cultivated trees as young as of age by using inducement (or wounding/pathological) technique. After wounding, that is drilling in tree-trunk, they put into drillhole a bio-agent called inducer that consists of special isolated fungi and several biochemicals. After 12-24 months a dark brown and fragrant resinous wood part was observed around injury sites, the quality of such cultivated Agarwood depends on the inducer to be applied.

Agarwood uses: Agarwood can be used in the following areas

* Aroma industry: Perfumes, Cosmetics & cosmeceuticals, Toiletries, Flavourings, Fragrances, Incenses, Candles, Aromatherapy preparations.
* Medicine: Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tibetan medicine, Ayurveda & Aromatherapy, Efficacious sedative, Aphrodisiac, sleep disorder treatment,…..
* Indoor air improvement & fumigation: Air revitalizing solutions help to improve indoor air quality and performance of office works
* Religious practices & spiritual life: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Catholicism, Hinduism, Deep meditation, Yoga,...
* Other uses: Ornamentation, Bead strings, Carvings, Wines, Teas, Burial & Cremation (grave-clothes, libation ingredients in funeral pyre), Prayer rugs,…

Agarwood products: Agarwood segments, splinters, chips & powders, Agarwood essential oils, Agarwood-based revitalizing solutions, Agarwood-based perfumes, Agarwood incenses, Agarwood candles & soaps, Agarwood concentrated juices & balms, Agarwood bead strings, Agarwood statues and carvings, Agarwood impregnated articles, Agarwood liqueurs, Agarwood teas,…

ABOUT SECOIN AGARWOOD

SECOIN efforts aim at answering to the following question: How to develop Vietnamese Agarwood products for Wellness, Poverty alleviation and Biodiversity conservation. Our Agroforestry Division (presently is SECOIN Applied Biology Center) has been selected as a subject to be sponsored by UNCTAD and SIPPO (Switzerland government) within the BIOTRADE programme. We have already taken part in the international exhibition VITAFOODS 2006 held in Geneva-Switzerland from 9th to 11th May 2006 (www.vitafoods.eu.com). During this Fair, we gave a presentation at Seminar Theatre whose title is "Biodiversity preservation & poverty alleviation in Vietnam: Agarwood and Aquilaria crassna Pierre", and our delegation was invited to take part in the BioTrade Business RoundTable organised by UNCTAD in Geneva.

We have already visited Spain (Madrid and Barcelona) from 25/6 to 6/7/06 to take part in two Business Forums organised by both Spanish and Vietnamese Ministry of Trade, where we displayed Agarwood products, Essential oils and Medicinal herbs. In May 2007, we take part in the Foire de Tours (Tours Cedex1) in France. We also give a presentation on Vietnamese Agarwood in the NTFP international conference hold in Hanoi from 11 to 14 June 2007 (NTFP International Conference (11-14 June 2007) proceedings). From 16 May to 27 July 2007 we take part in Asean Health and Wellness Exhibition hold in Tokyo-Japan and display our agarwood-based products for well-being. From 27 November 2007 to 8 December 2007 we visited Australia and New Zealand and took part in the business forums held in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, where we displayed SECOIN Agarwood products.