Is there any detailed information about the classification of agarwood?
On May 19, 2000, the State Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision issued the national standard of mahogany under the extremely chaotic situation in China. There are 33 tree species, belonging to 2 families, 5 genera and 8 categories. Although it has been questioned by all walks of life, it has indeed played an overall normative role in the mahogany market. It also makes the mahogany market gradually embark on the road of healthy development. Aquilaria sinensis is not a kind of wood. Without strict standards and regulations, it is difficult to establish a correct identification standard. It is normal to be cheated under the wrong guidance of unscrupulous businessmen. According to this situation, the prospect of agarwood is not optimistic.
I often meet someone who shows me a rotten piece of wood and tells me that it is a good piece of gloomy wood. Or it becomes more and more yellow, ebony becomes ebony, and so on. When you question, he will be very sure of his own statement and tell you that he is very professional and knows a lot about wood. This is because he has never seen the real thing. This is not surprising, because when I first came into contact with mahogany, I thought Lushi black rosewood was the most authentic rosewood.
Aquilaria sinensis is a kind of medicinal material, a rare good spice and a good tribute to Buddhist practice. Its economic value is very high, the products have been in short supply, extremely scarce at home and abroad, and the price is also very expensive. Aquilaria sinensis is a kind of solid condensate of oil (resin) and wood components secreted by a special fragrant tree after injury. But the wood of this fragrant tree itself has no special fragrance, and the wood is soft. According to the current research, several trees of Aquilaria in Daphne family, such as Aquilaria malayi, Aquilaria sinensis, Aquilaria sinensis in India and Aquilaria sinensis in Hainan, can form Aquilaria sinensis.
The reason for the formation of agarwood is that the trunk of this species was invaded and parasitized by fungi after being damaged. Under the action of enzymes in bacteria, starch stored in wood parenchyma cells has undergone a series of changes, forming balsam and finally depositing for many years.
According to the different forming conditions, Aquilaria sinensis can be generally divided into six types: due to age and natural factors, Daphne plants remain immortal after lodging in the wind and rain, showing an "upside down" shape; Daphne odora was buried in the soil and decomposed by microorganisms, leaving the uncorrupted part as "soil sinking"; Those who are buried in the swamp after lodging and fished out of the swamp after biological decomposition are "latent"; Living trees are cut down artificially, eaten by termites after landing, and the rest is "ant sinking"; Those who directly obtain agarwood by cutting down living trees are "live weight"; In less than ten years, it is "white wood" that has a little aroma. The first to the third are all dead agarwood, which can emit different scents in the natural state. The fourth and sixth kinds of raw agarwood can only emit fragrance when lit, which is the best raw material and the most precious raw material for high-grade religious incense products.
Domestic agarwood
Alias: Mi Xiang (southern vegetation) and Shen Shui Xiang (Guiyu Zhi Heng). The original plant Aquilaria sinensis is also known as Aquilaria Resinatum (from Guangxi), Daughter Fragrant (Outline), Tooth Fragrant Tree, Guanxiang Tree and Liu Ma Tree.
Chinese agarwood, as its name implies, is produced in today's China. Of course, Hainan agarwood is the most famous among them, and it has been cited as the first agarwood in all countries by literati and fragrant tea since ancient times. According to historical records, the record of incense production in Hainan Island can be traced back to Ren Fang's Strange Scenery in the Jin Dynasty: "Xiangzhou is in the county, and it is often unknown. Rosin has been known for thousands of years, also known as thyme leaves. "
"During the Jin Dynasty, foreign countries also paid tribute with different incense. Yang Di (Yang Di Yangguang AD 568-6 18) was not the agarwood fried in the volcano at night, and the incense in Hainan was all over." ("Xiangcheng")
It can be seen from the above that the history of producing agarwood in Hainan has reached 1400~ 1500 years. In recent years, when it comes to Aquilaria sinensis, many people say that "Aquilaria sinensis is not native to China, but was introduced from abroad in the Tang and Song Dynasties" and that "Aquilaria sinensis produced in Guangdong and other regions has no economic value". This statement is either elegant and untrue, or has ulterior motives-leading users to mistakenly think that a certain country's Aquilaria sinensis is "genuine".
2. Dongguan
Aquilaria sinensis, also known as Vientiane, is the only plant named after a place name in China. According to historical records, Muxiang (also known as Aquilaria sinensis and Aquilaria sinensis) was introduced to Guangdong in the Tang Dynasty and was widely planted in the Song Dynasty. Because it is mainly concentrated in Dongguan, it is also called woody. As early as more than 400 years ago in the Ming Dynasty, four famous markets, namely, Fragrant Market, Medicine Market, Flower Market and Pearl Market, were formed in Guangdong, among which the Fragrant Market, which traded agarwood, was the most prosperous. In the Ming Dynasty, every year in Guangdong, there were smiling faces on the tributes. At that time, Wanxiang not only sold well in China, but also was picked and processed by manpower and sold in Hong Kong, and exported to Southeast Asia in large quantities. It is said that Hong Kong is named after this, so it can be seen that the name "Hong Kong" comes from Wanxiang.
3. Guangdong and other parts of Guangxi
As early as 65,438+0,000 years ago, agarwood was produced in western Guangdong, and as early as 800 years ago, Fan Chengda, an ancient perfumer, listed "Haibei" (a part of Guangxi and western Guangdong) as an equivalent with Jiao Jiao Guangxiang and Zhanxiang. See below for details:
Tianxiang Tale: Lei, Wen, Gao and Dou are also places where China produces incense, which is not bad compared with Hainan. There are many sellers, and the taker is quick. It is yellow ripe before it becomes a pile, and the pile is not heavy before it becomes heavy. He who takes advantage is also a thief.
Compendium of Materia Medica: Many places in Lingnan, especially those near the sea.
"Gui Yu Hai Zhi Heng": Guang Xiang and Zhan Xiang are homogeneous, staying in Haibei, making friends, and also gathering in Qinzhou.
In Song Dynasty, Ding Wei commented that cooked incense was better than raw incense in Tian Xiang Zhuan, because "there are many sellers, so the one who takes it is quick. Before it becomes yellow, the stack becomes heavy. Those who take advantage will commit the crime of stealing. " In addition, Hainan Island "is deeply rooted among the Lebanese people, so there is no need to cut down trees indiscriminately, so there is no danger that trees will die early, and they will all be fragrant."
4. Yunnan
Chinese name: Yunnan agarwood
Other Chinese names: Waixianxu (Dai language). Distribution and habitat: producing Mengla (Amusement Mountain) and Shuangjiang; Born in hillside forest at an altitude of1200m. The type specimens were collected from Mengla.
In recent years, there have been frequent news reports that criminals from Vietnam and Myanmar have stolen agarwood from Yunnan across the border.
5. Taiwan Province Province
The agarwood produced in Taiwan Province Province is rarely recorded in ancient books. It may be that the annual dosage of agarwood in Taiwan Province Province is among the highest in the world, and it was only introduced in modern times.
Classification and product name
From ancient times to the present, there is no such thing as "soil sinking", "sand sinking", "tiger skin sinking", "medicine sinking" and "dead sinking" among Chinese agarwood practitioners. Of course, we should also respect the creativity of modern management and people who like agarwood.
1. Classification and nomenclature of ancient Aquilaria sinensis
Ding Wei, a famous fragrant tea maker in Song Dynasty, first classified agarwood in Song Dynasty. He divided agarwood into "four twelve shapes", "name" is the classification of agarwood, and "four names" refers to four different grades, and "shape" is classified from appearance.
(1) "Four": Aquilaria Resinatum, Zhanxiang, Huangshuxiang and Shengxiangxiang.
(2) "Twelve Shapes": "Aquilaria sinensis" can be divided into eight shapes, such as Wuwenge, yellow wax, ox eye, ox horn, ox hoof, pheasant head, mustache and bone. (After the bull's eye, the natives don't say: bull's eye, ox horn, ox hoof, chicken head, chicken leg, chicken bone. )
There are two "shapes" of "stack incense": Kunlun Meg, insect carving and so on.
"Yellow ripe incense" is two "shapes": umbrella bamboo lattice, grass leaf and so on.
"Aroma"-"shape": partridges have spots.
"Four names and twelve shapes" can be regarded as two systems: cooked incense and raw incense.
(1) Cooked incense means "Cooked incense", also known as "Deodorization", which belongs to natural fragrant agarwood, with overlapping incense and yellow cooked incense.
(2) Aroma-producing means: that is, aroma-producing, which is not natural. Divided into: raw agarwood, raw stacked incense, raw yellow cooked and so on.
Since then, the famous experts of incense studies in various dynasties have also taken this as a Sect and made some modifications.
2. Classification and product names of people in the modern domestic agarwood industry.
There are two kinds: wild incense and artificial incense.
(1) Wild incense: refers to agarwood collected from wild trees, artificially damaged for mass production, or made in other ways.
(2) Artificial fragrance: refers to agarwood mass-produced by artificial injury or other means. (whether wild or cultivated)
(3) The names of all kinds of wild incense are divided by their shapes.
"Bantou"-refers to the agarwood formed at the fracture when the whole tree of Aquilaria sinensis is sawn off, cut down or blown backward by strong wind, and the stump has been eroded by years of wind and rain.
"Baotou"-refers to the board head whose fracture has been completely wrapped by new bark.
Bantou and Baotou are divided into "old man" and "new head":
"Old man" —— refers to the hard board head or Baotou whose fracture has been eroded by wind and rain for a long time, and the wood fiber at the fracture has completely decayed and fallen off, and the fracture is black or brown. The harder and darker the rotten noodles, the better. (The rotten surface is extremely hard, dark brown or black in color, commonly known as "steel head")
"New head"-refers to the board head or head with light or yellow-white color and soft texture, where the wood fiber at the fracture has not completely decayed or fallen off after a short period of wind and rain erosion.
"Hanging mouth"-refers to the agarwood produced by cutting the tree body of agarwood.
"Insect eye"-(that is, "insect leakage") refers to the agarwood formed by the insect-eaten part of Aquilaria sinensis.
"Shell sinking"-refers to agarwood's ear shell shape, which is formed by the branches of agarwood being blown off by the wind, and the fracture surface being eroded by wind and rain and secreting oil.
"Saw clamp"-refers to the agarwood formed by the saw marks on the agarwood tree and the oil secreted by the trees around the saw marks.
"Shui Ge"-refers to the agarwood formed by oil precipitation after the dead Aquilaria sinensis tree is eroded or soaked by rain (or there are other explanations, which I can't find out). Generally, it is light yellow, khaki or brown, and the oil line is not obvious or there is no oil line. The agarwood with stronger fragrance than other domestic agarwood smells better. The harder the wood, the stronger the fragrance and the fresher the color.
"Underground skin"-(that is, "soil sinking") refers to the agarwood formed by dead agarwood buried underground, mostly tree heads and roots, which are generally light in color.
"Dead wood agarwood"-(commonly known as "dead chicken") refers to the oily part of dead Aquilaria sinensis. Due to long-term deposition and fermentation, the color becomes pale and gray or light gray agarwood appears.
"Skin oil"-refers to a layer of agarwood secreted by the lower bark of Aquilaria sinensis, mostly in the shape of bamboo shell.
"Raw"-refers to the finished product of agarwood mixed with new white wood.
"Qinan"-refers to rich oil, which can scrape off powdery waxy substances and knead them into a ball without dispersion; It tastes numb, chews a little sticky, and smells fragrant and cool; Burning agarwood, the fragrance is mellow and the black smoke is thick. Colors are green, dark green, khaki, golden yellow, black and so on. Legend has it that there are white, purple and other colors of Phoebe bournei, but it is rare.
Shen Ma Shen Xing
There are so-called "Malay Sinking" and "Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin Sin", which are just nouns.
(1) "Malayan God" refers to the agarwood produced in Malaysia, but the agarwood produced in the mountains of Sabah and Sarawak provinces in northern Borneo, Malaysia has been seriously exhausted; Moreover, with Malaysia's high salary, the cost of mining has long been covered. At present, only a few Indonesians are mining on the border. Therefore, "Malay Shen" is just a term in the past.
(2) "Sin Chau Aquilaria sinensis" refers to Singapore, which is the largest distribution center of Aquilaria sinensis in Indonesia at present. Of course, it does not produce agarwood itself, but with its flexible trading skills, it has almost mastered the main export volume of Indonesian agarwood, even when it is exported, it is denominated in Singapore dollars. So "Xianzhouxian" refers to agarwood produced in Indonesia and distributed in Singapore.
(3) In addition, it is recorded in China's ancient books that there is an agarwood tree in the south of China. At that time, the purpose of planting this tree was to carve marks on the outer skin of the tree when it was still young, so as to obtain its juice for pharmaceutical use. This kind of juice is different from the oily aggregates naturally formed on branches at present, and there are no people now, so I won't introduce it here.
Sinking and printing
(1) Viet Nam is connected with China, and its agarwood mining history exceeds 100 years, most of which are exported to China. So China people are more accustomed to the smell of Vietnamese agarwood. Relatively speaking, Aquilaria sinensis was widely mined in Indonesia more than 20 years ago, and it is far from China, with few importers. In addition, the smell of Indonesian agarwood is stronger than that of Vietnamese agarwood. Therefore, in terms of making incense, China people prefer the smell of Vietnamese agarwood.
(2) Aquilaria sinensis is soft in texture and thin in oil layer. Coupled with the natural growth environment of Vietnamese agarwood, it is almost impossible to find submerged black agarwood blocks with a weight of more than 200 grams and a thickness of more than 3 cm in Vietnam. However, due to soil and climate factors, a few precious submerged black agarwood blocks are still mined in some virgin forests in Borneo, Indonesia. Because the quantity is extremely limited (less than one thousandth of the total output of agarwood), it is regarded as a treasure.
(3) In terms of use, Shen An Aquilaria Resinatum tablets suitable for Chinese tastes are widely used in the fragrance industry in Taiwan Province Province, especially the "sea" grade is the most popular among Chinese people. However, if it is to be used for carving Buddha statues or making round beads, it is appropriate to use precious Indonesian black agarwood blocks.
Living sink and dead sink
(1) Aquilaria sinensis is a rare tree species growing in dense virgin forest. If it is not discovered for hundreds of years, it will eventually die of natural causes due to aging. After the trunk falls to the ground, the xylem in it will gradually disappear due to weathering and corrosion. The part of the original trunk containing agarwood oil will survive because of its weathering resistance and corrosion resistance, and usually it will form irregular thin slices. This piece of agarwood was collected from a dead tree.
(2) "Living and sinking", as the name implies, is to cut down the agarwood tree while it is still alive. Therefore, any "living sink" will have traces of knives and axes.
(3) For the perfuming industry, the richer the oil, the better, because the "dead" xylem has corroded and disappeared, leaving only the oily part. Although its appearance is dry and uneven, it is still the best choice for perfuming industry. "Vulcan" is cut from living plants, so it also contains some xylem, but its appearance is clean and beautiful, and each piece is large and complete, which is a good material for carving and landscaping.
(4) Because the "dead sink" surface has been weathered for decades and buried under the soil, the surface smells tasteless, and only when it is burned will it have the smell of agarwood. "Vulcan" is collected from fresh plants, so its agarwood slices are all scented with agarwood, and they don't burn or burn.
The authenticity of agarwood
The identification method of agarwood is very simple. At present, there are two main ways to fake agarwood on the market. The following is the identification method for reference:
(1) use other miscellaneous wood except agarwood as agarwood;
Real agarwood beads or carvings come from agarwood logs. After cutting and carving, the surface is fresh and naturally emits the same unique smell as agarwood logs. Other fake miscellaneous trees are similar in appearance to real agarwood, but they smell tasteless and are easy to distinguish. So, as long as it's not heavy, don't buy it rashly.
(2) Oil-soaked impersonators:
Aquilaria sinensis is a natural wild plant. No matter how high the quality of Aquilaria sinensis is, it can't be completely black. It is inevitable that the thick black oil will be mixed with xylem that is more or less white to dark brown, resulting in a clear black and white situation. However, some people first made the poor quality Daphne (completely oil-free or oil-less) into round beads, and then soaked them in heated agarwood oil, so that the agarwood oil penetrated into them, resulting in the whole round beads being completely black and not white to deep at all.
To sum up, for any agarwood bead or sculpture, the method of judging its authenticity is as follows:
First, look:
All-black people are not genuine, they are made of oil. They still have some fragrance, but the taste won't last long.
B, smell:
As long as it is genuine, it will have a unique fragrance. If there is no fragrance, it is better to touch it less.
C, combustion:
If you want to confirm further, you can touch the hidden place of the round bead or the carving with a red-hot needle tip (such as the hole of the round bead or the bottom of the carving). The genuine product will inevitably have a familiar heavy fragrance, so there is nothing to hide.
D, cutting:
If the agarwood soaked in oil is cut open from the middle, its interior is all black, while the genuine product is black and white. When the oil-soaked beads burn, they will expand and emit black smoke.
In addition, for the old agarwood, it may be smeared by other spices because of stains on its surface. It is not easy to distinguish its authenticity by smelling or looking at it except by burning or needle tip test.
Seven, the grade of agarwood
There are three main factors in the classification of agarwood grades: fragrance, weight and black, which are described as follows:
Item (1):
The reason why agarwood is cherished by the world is that it is an important treasure when worshipping Buddha, because it has a unique and irreplaceable fragrance. High-quality agarwood can give off a comfortable fragrance when it is not burned, and it will remain fragrant when it is held in the palm of your hand. When it burns, it gives off an irresistible and charming fragrance, and Malik rushes.
(2) heavy:
The more oil in agarwood, the greater its proportion, the more it feels and the more it is loved. Generally speaking, judging the oil content of agarwood is usually based on "submerged" or "not submerged", and those that are heavily submerged are rare treasures.
(3) Black:
Generally speaking, the darker the color of agarwood is, the richer the oil content is, the best is black and shiny, followed by gray-black or brown.
Qi Nan and Sean
In fact, Qinan is a kind of agarwood, and it is also made of agarwood (there is no Qinan tree in the world, only Vietnamese agarwood has the word "Qinan", and Indonesian agarwood does not have this name). Generally speaking, Phoebe bournei is easy to agglomerate, not flake. If you chew with your mouth, it has a slightly spicy taste. It smells like cream when it is burned, and it is not necessarily black. Some people divide it into Qi Huang, red flag, white flag and black flag according to different colors. Because of the small quantity and mysterious color, the price in the market is very high. In fact, Qin 'an and Aquilaria sinensis are the same thing, which is difficult to define. Those who have spare money are not suitable for playing.
The role of agarwood
(1) agarwood is a treasure that combines the essence of heaven and earth. It can be used not only as a kind of advanced Chinese herbal medicine, but also as the best material for spices.
(2) In religion, wearing or using agarwood at ordinary times shows respect for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The smell of agarwood helps to welcome Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and benefit all beings in the dharma world.
(3) When sitting quietly, using agarwood can help meditation and avoid the interference of magic, which has a far-reaching effect of avoiding evil spirits.
(4) Respectfully chanting Buddha with agarwood beads will help to remove delusions, purify the soul, find the true face of the original unpolluted people, and make life sublimated and comfortable.
(5) Wear agarwood beads or ornaments with you at ordinary times, just like a patron saint, which can ward off evil spirits.
(6) placing agarwood or carved pieces at home can make the house feel safe.
Medicinal value of agarwood
Efficacy: lowering temperature, warming kidney and absorbing qi.
Indications: Treating qi deficiency, wheezing, vomiting and hiccups, abdominal distension and pain, waist and knees deficiency and cold, large intestine deficiency and secret, urine stranguria, and cold male semen. (1) "Bielu": "Treat the toxic swelling of feng shui and eliminate evil spirits." ② Tao Hongjing: "Treating nuclear toxic swelling." (3) Materia Medica of Haiyao: "Treat abdominal pain, cholera, pathogenic factors, clear heart, and take wine; All sores and swelling should be treated with ointment. "4" Rihuazi Materia Medica ":"Regulating the middle, nourishing the five internal organs, benefiting essence and strengthening yang, warming the waist and knees, and eliminating evil spirits. Stop twitching muscles, vomiting and diarrhea, air conditioning, constipation, (cure) cold wind paralysis, joint failure, itchy skin and wet wind, abdominal pain and gas dysentery. " ⑤ "Pearl Capsule": "Tonifying kidney, eliminating evil and regulating middle energizer." ⑥ "Outline": "Treat upper heat and lower cold, reversed breath, deficiency and cold of large intestine, urinary stranguria and male cold." ⑦ Compendium of Medical Forest: "Strengthening the kidney, nourishing the vital gate, warming the middle warmer, drying the spleen and promoting diuresis, purging the heart and descending the adverse, all the qi that is not adjusted can be adjusted. It also treats mouth dysentery, aversion to cold wind and cold joint pain. "8" Materia Medica Rejuvenation ":"Treating liver depression, lowering liver qi, harmonizing spleen and stomach, eliminating dampness, and inducing resuscitation by inducing diuresis. "
Tropism of nature and taste: hard and warm. ① Don't record: "Slight temperature." ② Materia Medica of sea medicine: "Bitter, warm and nontoxic." 3 "Rihuazi Materia Medica": "pungent, hot, non-toxic." 4 "Outline": "Those who chew sweet are flat.
Maintenance of agarwood
(1) Carved agarwood or round beads can still have its pleasant agarwood smell after hundreds of years without any treatment under normal circumstances.
(2) When wearing agarwood hand beads, avoid being contaminated with grease or detergent as much as possible to maintain its original quality and smell for a long time.
(3) I suggest you put the agarwood beads in a cloth or plastic bag and keep them clean after you finish your homework.
Now the common agarwood bracelets in our market should strictly belong to Daphne. Among them, agarwood with high quality is the top grade. But now the market is full of pure black or gray-black fake agarwood, and it takes a lot of experience to distinguish between true and false when buying it.
Xiang Supreme's agarwood products are exquisite and can meet the needs of different types of users. Factory direct sales guarantee that the fragrant supreme agarwood is inexpensive. The key is the quality of agarwood. In Xiang Supreme, you can see that each agarwood product has a specific origin of raw materials for our consumers to verify the authenticity of agarwood. Therefore, instead of focusing on where the agarwood produced is the best, it is better to care about where the agarwood quality is higher. Xiang Supreme is your trusted agarwood brand.