82 PTEROCARPUS SANTALINUS 



Official Part and Names. PTEROCARPI LIGNUM ; the wood 

 (B. P.). The wood (Lignum Santalinum rubrum) (I. P.). 

 SANTALUM ; the wood (U. S. P.). 



General Characters and Composition. Red Sandal Wood, Red 

 Sanders or Saunders Wood, is generally imported from Ceylon; 

 and as found in English commerce, it is principally obtained from 

 the lower parts of the stem, and from the thick roots. It occurs 

 in roundish, somewhat angular, or irregular logs or billets, which 

 are without bark and sapwood, from about three to five feet in 

 length, and in some cases as thick as a man's thigh, although 

 usually much smaller. These billets are heavy, dense, externally 

 dark reddish- or blackish-brown, and internally, if cut trans- 

 versely, of a deep blood-red, variegated with zones of a lighter 

 red colour. The wood is usually found in the pharmacies in the 

 form of raspings, chips, or coarse powder, of a deep reddish- 

 brown colour. Red Sandal Wood has a very slightly astringent 

 taste, and is almost odourless, although when rubbed it has a 

 faint peculiar smell. 



The colouring principle of red sandal wood is almost insoluble 

 in water, either hot or cold, and also in fixed oils, such as almond 

 and olive ; but it is readily soluble in ether, alcohol, concentrated 

 acetic acid, and alkaline solutions, and forms deep coloured 

 solutions. It is also insoluble in oil of turpentine ; but partially 

 soluble in some of the essential oils, as those of lavender, rose- 

 mary, cloves, and oil of bitter almonds. This colouring principle, 

 which is termed santalic acid or santalin, is a resinous ruby- 

 coloured substance, without taste or odour, fusing at 202, and form- 

 ing uncrystallisable salts with alkalies. Weidel also obtained from 

 the wood a minute quantity of colourless, tasteless crystals, which 

 he called santal. The wood also contains a small quantity of some 

 kind of tannin, probably kino-tannic acid. 



Medical Properties and Uses. Although much used in India as 

 an astringent, it can scarcely be said to have any virtue as 

 a medicine, but to be simply useful as a colouring agent. 



The chief use of red sanders wood is as a dye stuff. Thus in 

 India it is employed mixed with sapan wood, for dyeing silk, 



