Red Sandalwood Powder (Wildcrafted)
Bulk Herbs: Red Sandalwood Powder (Wildcrafted)
Pterocarpus soyauxii
Format: Powder
Size: 1 oz package
Farming: Wildcrafted
Location: Africa
There are so many genera of Sandalwood trees; however, the one that is most often sold as “Red Sandalwood today,” Pterocarpus soyauxii, is not a sandalwood at all. This is a redwood from Africa, also known as African Coralwood or African Padauk. This wood is commonly used in magickal practices as Red Sandalwood and has been for a long time (you will find this listed in many reference books). True Red Sandalwood, Pterocarpus santalinus, is an endangered species of Sandalwood, and we highly recommend not working with it at this time.
The wood of Pterocarpus soyauxii is a valuable multipurpose hardwood. Because of its water resistance, it is used locally to make canoes. Because of its beautiful reddish color, it is favored for carving and sculpting, furniture, cabinets, knife and tool handles, traditional hair combs, walking sticks, and musical instruments. The wood has a high resonant quality because its damping of vibrations is low, and it was formerly used to make large telegraph slit drums, war drums, and xylophones in DR Congo and Gabon.
The heartwood is the source of the so-called true barwood dye. In Africa today, the dye is still used to color red fabrics, fibers, and clothing, including the tail-like ornaments made from raffia fiber in Cameroon and worn on the backs of women of the Bulu people. In DR Congo, in the former kingdom of Kuba, at the confluence of the rivers Kasai and Sankuru, the dyes of the famous ‘Kasai velvets’ include Pterocarpus soyauxii reds with a more violet shade, obtained by combining the red dye with tannin-rich plants and an iron-rich mud mordant.
You can use red Sandalwood to invoke love and lift the spirit – the correspondences are slightly different than true Sandalwood and should be accounted for as such when working with magical formulations. Red Sandalwood is ruled by Venus/Water. It is a high-vibration wood because of its excellent resonant properties.
If you are looking for True Sandalwood, see our listing for Yellow Sandalwood.
For educational purposes only, this information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.