Agarwood (also known as Oud) is a precious aromatic wood that forms in the heartwood of the Aquilaria tree, which produces dark resin to protect itself after being wounded. Its warm, deep aroma has been treasured for thousands of years across Asia and the Middle East, and its rarity makes genuine oud oil worth more than gold by weight. This article helps you understand why this wood is so precious, how its aroma works with the mind, and the story of the Thai agarwood AROMAYU chose.

What Is Agarwood, and Why Is It Worth More Than Gold?

The agarwood tree belongs to the genus Aquilaria, found across Southeast Asia. Normally its wood is pale and odourless, but when the tree is wounded or infected by a fungus, it responds by producing dark, fragrant resin that builds up in the heartwood — this is true agarwood. The process takes years or even decades, and only a small part of the tree yields high-grade wood. This rarity is what makes fine agarwood so valuable, earning it the name 'the most expensive wood in the world.'

In trade, oud oil is distilled from resin-rich wood. Its aroma is complex — warm, deeply woody, with hints of sweetness and gentle smoke. Unlike ordinary fragrant woods, it lingers and has real dimension. The main chemical components of oud oil are sesquiterpenes, including eremophilanes, cadinanes and eudesmanes, which give it its signature scent.

Why Does the Aroma of Agarwood Feel So Calming?

As you breathe deeply and take in the aroma of agarwood, its scent molecules travel through the olfactory system to the limbic system — the part of the brain that directly governs emotion and memory. Published animal studies have found that experiencing the aroma of agarwood essential oil can help restore emotional balance through the neurotransmitter system.

One study found that the aroma of agarwood oil raised GABA levels and adjusted the GABA/glutamate ratio, along with serotonin (5-HT) levels in the brain — mechanisms associated with a sense of relaxation. Another study found that agarwood oil helped reduce over-activity of the HPA axis (Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal axis), the body's stress-response system (see the research IJMS 2018 and PubMed). This is the scientific reason the aroma of agarwood has offered a feeling of 'calm, like resting' since ancient times.

Note: These studies are preliminary animal research. AROMAYU presents them for scientific understanding, not as a medical claim.

Thai Agarwood from Mesook Farm, Rayong

The agarwood AROMAYU uses comes from Mesook Farm , a community enterprise of agarwood-growing farmers in Ka Ched, Mueang district, Rayong. It is a mixed agarwood forest more than 30 years old spanning over 200 rai (about 32 hectares), and a recipient of a national agricultural award.

What makes Mesook Farm special is that they oversee the entire process — from planting and tending the trees todeveloping their own oud distillation equipment — controlling quality from source to finished product. AROMAYU collaborates with Mesook Farm to produce this pillow mist, giving us confidence in the origin of the raw material and genuine traceability, unlike much of the agarwood oil on the market whose source is often unknown (read about Mesook Farm via the Tourism Authority of Thailand)

Mesook Farm offers several grades of agarwood, but AROMAYU specifically chosepremium-grade 18-year-old Thai agarwoodbecause it gives an aroma that issofter and deeperthan ordinary grades. Wood aged for many years is never sharp or harsh; instead it unfolds slowly with dimension, ideal for use before sleep when you want a feeling of warmth and safety rather than a scent so heavy it disturbs.

Agarwood in AROMAYU Products

How to use: Mist onto your pillow and bed linen before sleep, breathe deeply, and let the aroma gradually surround you, signalling to your body that it's time to rest. See more in the Relax & Balance collection, or read on about why your mind won't stop racing before sleep