The Aboriginal communities of Australia have long understood the benefits of Australian sandalwood. For thousands of years, Noongar peoples have used sandalwood for its therapeutic and spiritual benefits. Known as ‘wolgol’ or ‘uilarac’ by the Noongar community, in times gone by elders chewed on the nuts to release the active ingredient and create a paste. This was applied to the skin to treat ailments, protect and heal superficial skin wounds and soothe aching joints. The elders often ate some of the paste knowing it was good for their digestion. They also burned the wood of the tree to create a natural mosquito repellent, inhaling its beautiful scent to holistically heal the mind, body and spirit.

In the 19th century, Australian sandalwood became Western Australia’s second largest export, resulting in the unsustainable harvesting of logs for sale to Asian markets. In 1929, the WA government stepped in to regulate the industry and introduced The Sandalwood Act. Today, all commercial harvesting and regeneration of wild Australian sandalwood trees are managed by the Forest Products Commission of Western Australia (FPC).

As part of its regeneration program, each year the FPC disperses more than 5 million seeds across approximately 20,000 hectares of land, ensuring supplies of Australian sandalwood will last well into the future. Quintis procures all our Australian sandalwood through the FPC to ensure a consistent, sustainable supply.