The present paper is an overview of Aquilaria malaccensis phytochemistry, its medicinal and pharmacological properties and its utilization in traditional medicine and drug industry. The plant is used in treatment against variety of diseases due to the presence of chromone derivatives, sesquiterpenes, terpenoids, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. This review also describes the chemical standards formulated by API (Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India) such as permissible limit of foreign matter, purity, strength, macroscopic and microscopic characters for drug preparation from agarwood. So far, no scientific and common grading system has been developed to grade agar oil based on its chemical composition which leads to the lack of coordination and regulation at international level. GC-MS analysis of agar oil reveals that oxygenated sesquiterpenes responsible for it’s unique aroma and quality are present in high grade agar oil. Some of the constituents such as α-guaiene, α-agarofuran, β-eudesmol, agarospirol, 10-epi-γ-eudesmol, etc are only found in high grade agar oil. In conclusion, these chemical compounds present in high grade agar oil can be used as standards for determining the best quality oil which can be followed by all traders and buyers in the international market

Agarwood high grade oil, sesquiterpenes, chromone derivatives, medicinal properties, GC-MS analysis

This paper critically reviews published research studies on medicinal and pharmacological properties of agarwood along with the chemical constituents responsible for it’s fragrance and drug value. It also covers topics related to it’s essential oil quality and grading as agarwood trade is highly dependent on it’s quality. Currently various countries follows different grading methods for determining it’s quality as till date no international common system or scientific protocol has been established. Conventionally, the agarwood oil is graded according to its physical appearance, colour and aroma. However, recent studies mentioned techniques like GC-MS analysis, which is considered as the best method for qualitative analysis and scientific grading. The review found that certain chemical compounds present in oil can be used to decide the quality, since high grade agar oil consists of a complex mixture of sesquiterpenes, oxygenated sesquiterpenes and chromone derivatives responsible for it’s unique aroma and quality

Sumona Chetia, Gurpreet Kaur Bhamra, Kajal Gupta and Rajib Kumar Borah (2025). A Review on Medicinal and Pharmacological Potential of Agaru (Aquilaria malaccensis Lamk.), it’s Chemical Constituents and Oil Quality. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 17(1): 124-130