The Beauty and the Healing Properties of Narra or Red Sandalwood

Narra is considered as the national tree of the Philippines, needing a permit when cutting it off. As our province are into furniture-making, our town most specifically, on occasions, some families are still selling theirs from their backyards or from their farms. Although pricey, furnitures made from Narra are in-demand.

The East and the West of Northern Philippines is divided by the very long Cordillera mountain range, extending from Cagayan to Pangasinan. Further east are the mountainous parts of Abra and the Ifugao Provinces.

From the mountains are rivers snaking out towards the sea, in between the many towns of the Ilocos Region. One of the biggest is the Banaoang River, made famous by the BANAOANG Bridge, this is the only access when going to VIGAN, the capital of Ilocos Sur.

Isn't it a beauty?

We bought this as a driftwood years ago for about $40. Because of my brother's furniture-making business, more often he's one of the first to know of wood being sold, although this was from another town nearer to the sea.

How the shape came about, I have no idea as it's just been a bench for years in one side of the house, the tiny legs added by my brother. The length made it impossible to be an indoor furniture.

Accordingly, the leaves are antioxidants that contain flavonoids and are diuretics. In Europe, it is also recognised by Spain, Portugal and France to have healing properties, as well as to fight tumors. There is an article where it says it can also dissolve bladder stones.

Where we are in the Philippines, there are known tree barks that are used in healing, but with Narra, no one seems to know any healing benefits. That's a shame because these woods when cut off for furnitures, the leaves are thrown away and the smaller branches and barks are used as firewood. What's new is that, the young leaves and flowers are also edible.

They are already endangered in the Philippines, hence the necessary permit from the Department of Environmental Natural Resources when a tree is cut off. As for their healing properties, dissemination and awareness need to be implemented otherwise these lovely trees, even if endangered, continue to be made as furnitures, instead of being studied as medicines.

References:
Secrets of Narra
Herbal Medicine Narra curative uses and components

All images were taken with my Samsung Galaxy S7.