Character
The Story of Assam Oud
From the misty forests of Northeast India comes one of the world's most coveted fragrance materials. Assam Oud carries centuries of ritual, medicine, and perfumery in its dark, resinous heart.
Heritage
Assam Oud traces its roots to ancient Indian civilization, predating its better known association with Middle Eastern perfumery. Historical records show oud featured in religious rituals, traditional Ayurvedic medicine, and royal perfumery across India for millennia. The northeastern forests of Assam and neighboring Sylhet region represent the oldest documented source of agarwood oil, establishing practices that would later spread across Asia and beyond. Ancient Sanskrit texts reference agarwood in healing rituals, while archaeological evidence points to its use in burial ceremonies. For centuries, Assam's Aquilaria forests supplied courts and temples with this precious material. The region remains one of the world's most important agarwood reserves, preserving techniques that connect modern perfumers to traditions established before written history.
At a Glance
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Feature this note
Woody Notes
Olfactive group
India
Primary source region
Ingredient Details
Steam distillation
Infected heartwood and resin
Did You Know
"Oud is not a secretion but the tree's immune response. When infected by a specific mould, the Aquilaria tree produces dark resin as a defence mechanism."
Pyramid Presence
