Abstract
Agarwood is a highly valuable fragrant wood of Aquilaria spp. (Thymelaeaceae) which has been widely utilized in traditional medicine, religious rites, and cultural activities. This study summarizes a review on the identification of Aquilaria cultivars, volatile and non-volatile phytochemicals, pharmacological uses, and agarwood grading system to determine its quality, and different agarwood induction methods. Due to the highly demanding and depleted natural resources, the research on agarwood is still insufficient, and it has broad research and development prospects in many industries. However, due to the significant scientific nature of agarwood application, developing high-quality products and drugs from agarwood have become highly important, while no one has discussed in detail the phytochemicals uses and provided a summary until now. The main phytochemicals of agarwood include terpenoids, dominated by sesquiterpenes. For centuries, terpenoids have been used in traditional Chinese medicine and have been shown to possess various pharmacological properties, including bacteriostatic, antibacterial, sedation, analgesia, anti-inflammation, anti-asthmatic, hypoglycemic, antidepressant, and many others. Alongside biological activity screening, phytochemical advances and pharmacological research have also made certain progress. Therefore, this review discusses the research progress of agarwood in recent years and provides a reference basis for further study of Aquilaria plants and agarwood.
Highlights
High-quality agarwood can be sold at US $100,000 per kg, while those of poor quality can only be sold at US $100 per kg
The similarity of the comparison result with the original agarwood is up to 100%, which proves that this method can effectively distinguish true and fake products and the relationship between species and genera
The results showed that some of 2-(2-phenylethyl) chromone derivatives had good inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus [32]
Summary
Agarwood is a valuable traditional Chinese medicine and natural high-grade spice in the world. It has the effects of relieving pain, asthma, and vomiting. A comprehensive review was made on the species and identification, quality control, chemical composition, pharmacological action, compatibility, and artificial agarwood to provide a reference for further research and development. It provides a scientific basis for the development and application of precious medicinal material.
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