The Agarwood is a non-timber fragrant wood of Aquilaria spp. (Thymelaeaceae) native to SouthEast Asia. It is regarded as a precious commodity for its various uses in medicine, religious rites and cultural activities. For example, in traditional Chinese medicine agarwood can be used to relieve coughs, gastric, fever and many more ailments. But despite its prolific use, very little literature exists which focuses on its chemical compounds, until recently.
A review published in MDPI identified new compounds in Agarwood such as 2-(2-Phenylethyl)chromones, Terpenoids and Flavonoids. The study was led by a group of Chinese scientists and had further discussions around the plant’s anti-depression, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.