What is Sandal Surkh?

Sandal Surkh is the deep red heartwood of the red sandalwood tree. Its plant name is Pterocarpus santalinus. It is a single drug (mufrad) of Persian and Unani medicine.

Most often it is used as a cooling paste on the skin. It is sometimes taken by mouth in small amounts. The same wood is also an old source of red dye.

Traditional healers use it for hot, itchy or sore skin. They also use it for burning feelings in the body and for headache. It is one part of larger tonic mixtures too.

It is not a food. People do not eat it in any real amount.

The honest verdict comes first. There is no useful human trial evidence for red sandalwood. What we have is lab and animal work.

A long record of old use tells you that people valued it. It is not proof that it works.

How does Sandal Surkh work?

No one has shown how Sandal Surkh works in people. So what follows is theory, not proven fact.

In Unani theory the wood is cold and dry. It is used to cool heat, calm burning feelings and dry weeping skin. That is why it was put on the skin rather than swallowed.

Lab work hints at some anti-inflammatory (swelling-calming) action. It also hints at antioxidant (cell-protecting) action. These may come from its red pigments and related compounds.

Animal studies have reported lower blood sugar. Some have also reported help with wound healing.

None of this has been confirmed in people. What happens in a test tube often does not happen in the body.

What forms does Sandal Surkh come in?

Sandal Surkh is sold and used in a few simple forms.

Common forms include: - Coarse chips or shavings, soaked or simmered in water - Fine wood powder, mixed with water or rose water into a skin paste (lep) - Water infusions and decoctions taken by mouth in small amounts - One part of mixed Unani products such as sharbats, khamiras and cooling powders - Wood-infused oils used for massage in some regions

True red sandalwood is scarce, and trade rules protect it. So cheaper red woods and dyed timber are often sold under the same name.

Where it comes from:

Red sandalwood has been named in drug texts for hundreds of years. It appears in Unani, Ayurvedic, Siddha and Chinese works. In Ayurveda it is called Raktachandana.

Persian and Arab doctors listed it among the cooling woods, next to white sandalwood. It spread along Indian Ocean trade routes. It travelled as a medicine, and as a prized dye and timber.

What does Sandal Surkh help with?

• Hot, itchy or inflamed skin: This is the best-known traditional use, and the one with the longest record. The paste is applied to red, hot or itchy patches to cool them. There are no published human trials testing red sandalwood paste against a dummy paste, so any relief you feel may come from the cool moisture itself.
• Acne and prickly heat: Unani and Ayurvedic practice uses the powder as a face or body pack for spots and heat rash. Evidence is tradition only. If acne is deep, painful or scarring, see a doctor rather than treating it with a wood powder.
• Headache (as a cooling paste on the forehead): A classical household use across South Asia and Persia. It is a comfort measure, not a painkiller, and no trial has tested it. A sudden, severe or unusual headache needs medical care, not a paste.
• Burning feelings in the body during fevers: Traditional texts place Sandal Surkh among cooling drugs given in hot, feverish states, usually in mixtures. No human study supports this. Fever that is high, lasting or in a young child needs a doctor.
• Minor wounds and grazes: Animal studies have reported faster wound closure with red sandalwood extracts. That work has not been repeated in people. Do not use it on deep, dirty or infected wounds.
• General thirst and heat, as part of cooling mixtures: In Unani sharbats and khamiras it is one of several cooling ingredients, rarely the main one. Any benefit cannot be traced to this wood specifically. Evidence here is traditional only.

Which foods are rich in Sandal Surkh?

This is a medicinal wood, not a food; it is not found in any normal diet.

What are the side effects of Sandal Surkh?

• Skin irritation, redness or stinging where the paste is applied
• Allergic rash or contact dermatitis (an itchy skin reaction) in sensitive people
• Red staining of skin, nails, cloth and basins
• Nausea or stomach upset when taken by mouth
• Possible drop in blood sugar, suggested by animal studies but not confirmed in people
• Reactions to dyes or unrelated woods sold as fake red sandalwood

Good to know:

Used on the skin in small amounts, Sandal Surkh is generally well tolerated, and serious reports are rare.

The bigger practical risk is not the wood itself but what is sold as the wood. Because genuine red sandalwood is scarce and protected under international trade rules, cheap timber and synthetic red dyes are passed off as it, and those can irritate skin or be unsafe to swallow.

Stop using it and wash the area if you get spreading redness, swelling, blistering or itching.

How much Sandal Surkh should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been established by research, because no proper human trials exist. Traditional Unani texts suggest roughly 3 to 5 grams of the wood powder a day taken by mouth, usually as an infusion or inside a compound formula. For skin use, the powder is mixed with water or rose water into a thin paste and applied to the affected area. Because samples vary and fakes are common, start with the smallest amount a qualified practitioner suggests, and prefer external use over swallowing it.
• Best time of day: There is no evidence that timing matters. Skin pastes are usually applied once or twice a day and washed off after 20 to 30 minutes. Oral infusions are traditionally taken in the morning or early evening.
• With or without food: When taken by mouth, it is usually taken with or just after food to reduce the chance of stomach upset. Wood powders and tannins on an empty stomach can cause nausea in some people.
• Time to effect: If a cooling paste helps you at all, you will notice it within minutes to hours of applying it. Nothing here should be expected to work slowly over months; if it is doing nothing after two to three weeks, stop.
• How long to take it: Keep it short. For skin use, two to three weeks is a reasonable trial; if nothing has changed, stop and see a doctor. Taking it by mouth for months on end has not been studied for safety, so do not do it without professional supervision.