Why is Hainan agarwood so expensive that it was praised by ancient great writers?

Hainan agarwood has always been the best among all kinds of incense. It is praised as " a piece of it is worth ten thousand coins, the best in the world ". So why is Hainan agarwood the best in the world?

Expert research has pointed out that Hainan’s unique natural geographical environment and climate are the decisive factors for the high quality of Hainan agarwood.

Aquilaria trees are mainly distributed in Southeast Asia, among which Guangdong and Guangxi regions, Yunnan, Guizhou and Hainan Island in my country mainly produce native aquilaria (also known as Wanxiang tree and white wood incense). Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar and other places mainly distribute honey aquilaria trees, while Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia mainly distribute eaglewood trees.

Hainan is the only tropical province in my country. The entire island has a tropical marine monsoon climate with long sunshine hours and little variation in day length. The average annual temperature is 22 to 26℃, with high temperatures and lots of rainfall.

Due to the sufficient sunlight and heat, and the simultaneous rainfall and heat, Hainan's agarwood trees grow faster and have better quality than those in Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian and other provinces. In addition, Hainan has a flat terrain and deep soil, making the entire island suitable for the growth of agarwood trees .

Since ancient times, there have been many famous people praising Hainan agarwood. For example, Cai Tao of the Song Dynasty praised Hainan agarwood as the best in the world in "Tieweishan Congtan". Su Shi, who was exiled to Hainan, as well as ancient celebrities such as Ding Wei, Li Shizhen, Qu Dajun, Zhao Rushi, and Li Tao all had a special liking for Hainan agarwood, believing that it was "superb and unique, as hard as gold and as smooth as jade."

However, due to its scarcity, agarwood has not really been accessible to ordinary people for thousands of years. It was not until recent years, with the maturity of artificial cultivation and artificial agarwood-making technology, that agarwood has " entered the homes of ordinary people ".

Agarwood has many wonderful uses, one of which is its medicinal value. In China, Japan, India, Southeast Asia and other countries and regions, agarwood is a traditional precious medicinal material , known as the "gold of medicine", which has the effects of "promoting qi and relieving pain, warming the middle and stopping vomiting, and relieving asthma", and has the effects of "treating stomachache, stopping asthma, calming the nerves" and so on.

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