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Santalum album (Indian sandalwood or white sandalwood) is a small tropical tree, the most commonly known source of sandalwood. This species has been utilised, cultivated and traded for many years, some cultures placing great significance on its fragrant and medicinal qualities. S. album has been the primary source of sandalwood and the derived oil. The fragrant wood of this tree is one of the most beloved scents in the world. It is added to funeral pyres as a sign of a respect and used in Western magic in many ways. In Hinduism, sandalwood paste is integral to rituals and ceremonies, to mark religious utensils and to decorate the icons of the deities. It is also distributed to devotees, who apply it to the forehead or the neck and chest. In Buddhism, sandalwood scent is believed to transform one's desires and maintain a person's alertness while in meditation and one of most popular scents used for offering incense to the Buddha. Zoroastrians offer sandalwood twigs to the firekeeping priests who offer the sandalwood to the fire which keeps the fire burning.
