Photo: Vinayaraj / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Agar अगर
Aquilaria agallocha
Also known as: Agaru
Part used: Heartwood
| Rasa (taste) | Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent) |
|---|---|
| Guna (qualities) | Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry) |
| Virya (potency) | Ushna (Hot) |
| Vipaka | Katu (Pungent) |
| Dosha | Balances Kapha & Vata |
| Prabhava | Classical systemic action |
Key takeaways
- Botanical name: Aquilaria agallocha
- Part used: Heartwood
- Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata
- Typical dose: Wood powder 500 mg – 2 g per day within a compound.
Agar in other languages
Introduction
Agar (Aquilaria agallocha) is agarwood or oud — not ordinary heartwood, but resin-soaked wood formed when the tree responds to fungal infection. Healthy agar wood is pale and worthless; the dark, dense, fragrant grades are the drug.
Ayurveda uses it as a warming aromatic for Kapha and Vata: given in cough and cold congestion, and applied externally for pain and for its scent.
Classification
Family Thymelaeaceae. The resin-infiltrated heartwood is officinal. Rasa: Katu, Tikta. Guna: Laghu, Ruksha, Tikshna. Virya: Ushna. Vipaka: Katu. Doshaghnata: pacifies Kapha and Vata.
Uses & benefits
Given in cough, cold and chest congestion, and in Vata disorders with pain. Externally the paste and oil are applied for headache, joint pain and skin complaints, and the wood is burned as incense. In this catalogue it appears in Irimedadi Taila and Maha Narayan Tel.
Agar for cold and congestion
Warming and penetrating, it is used where the chest and head are blocked with cold, thick Kapha.
Agar in medicated oils
Its aromatic warmth and its fragrance both matter in the classical oils, where it is used for pain and stiffness and to perfume the preparation.
Dosage — how much to take
Wood powder 500 mg – 2 g per day within a compound. Externally used in oils and pastes without dose limit.
Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm with a qualified Vaidya.
Traditional uses — questions answered from the classical texts
Answers are drawn from the citations and properties recorded for this drug. No chapter-and-verse reference appears that the record does not carry.
Which classical texts describe Agar?
The citations held for Agar in this catalogue are: Charaka Samhita (Sutrasthana — Anuvasanopaga and external applications); Bhavaprakasha Nighantu (Karpuradi Varga — Aguru).
What does the Charaka Samhita record about Agar?
Aguru used in medicated oils and fumigation. Reference: Charaka Samhita — Sutrasthana — Anuvasanopaga and external applications.
What does the Bhavaprakasha Nighantu record about Agar?
Katu-tikta rasa, ushna virya; kaphavatahara and used externally. Reference: Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Karpuradi Varga — Aguru.
What is Agar traditionally used for in Ayurveda?
Given in cough, cold and chest congestion, and in Vata disorders with pain. Externally the paste and oil are applied for headache, joint pain and skin complaints, and the wood is burned as incense. In this catalogue it appears in Irimedadi Taila and Maha Narayan Tel.
What are the Ayurvedic properties of Agar?
Rasa Tikta (Bitter), Kashaya (Astringent), Guna Laghu (Light), Ruksha (Dry), Virya Ushna (Hot), Vipaka Katu (Pungent). Dosha action: Balances Kapha & Vata. Prabhava: Classical systemic action.
Why is Agar classified the way it is?
In dravya-guna a drug's dosha action follows from its taste, qualities, potency and post-digestive effect. Agar carries Ushna (Hot) virya and Katu (Pungent) vipaka, which together give the recorded action: Balances Kapha & Vata.
Which part of Agar is used medicinally?
The part used is Heartwood.
How much Agar is taken, and how?
Wood powder 500 mg – 2 g per day within a compound. Externally used in oils and pastes without dose limit. Dosage varies with age, constitution and condition — confirm it with a qualified Vaidya.
When should Agar be avoided?
Well tolerated in classical doses. Heating; may aggravate Pitta. Aquilaria is CITES-listed and wild populations are severely depleted — insist on documented, legally sourced material. Agarwood is among the most adulterated of all drugs, commonly faked with dyed and scented ordinary wood.
Where does Agar grow?
Native to the moist forests of north-east India, chiefly Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, and to South-East Asia. Now largely plantation-grown with induced resin formation.
Classical references
- Bhavaprakasha Nighantu — Karpuradi Varga — Aguru
Katu-tikta rasa, ushna virya; kaphavatahara and used externally. - Charaka Samhita — Sutrasthana — Anuvasanopaga and external applications
Aguru used in medicated oils and fumigation.
Safety & precautions
Well tolerated in classical doses. Heating; may aggravate Pitta. Aquilaria is CITES-listed and wild populations are severely depleted — insist on documented, legally sourced material. Agarwood is among the most adulterated of all drugs, commonly faked with dyed and scented ordinary wood.
Where it grows
Native to the moist forests of north-east India, chiefly Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, and to South-East Asia. Now largely plantation-grown with induced resin formation.
Frequently asked questions
Why is agarwood so expensive?
Because only wood that has been infiltrated with resin after fungal infection is usable, and that happens in a small proportion of trees. The species is also CITES-listed and wild stocks are depleted.
How is adulteration detected?
Genuine agarwood is dense, sinks or nearly sinks in water, and releases fragrance on gentle heating rather than only when burned. Dyed substitutes give up colour in water.
