Sal Amrit Oil

Mahamaya
holding onto a branch of the blossoming Sal,
gives birth to the future Buddha,
Siddhartha Gautama.

SAL AMRIT OIL
Resin from the Sal tree steam distilled in traditional clay pots
Provenance:  Madhya Pradesh State, Central India


The Sal tree (Shorea robusta) is a species of tree native to southern Asia, ranging south of the Himalayas, from Burma in the east to India and Nepal.  In India it extends from Assam, Bengal and Jharkhand, west to the Shivalik Hills in Haryana, east of the River Yamuna. The range also extends through the Eastern Ghats and to the eastern Vindhya and Satpura ranges of central India. It is often the dominant tree in the forests where it occurs.

The Sal tree is closely associated with the Buddha, as he is believed to be born under the Sal tree.  Maya Devi, his mother, gave birth to the child on her way to her parent's home in Devadaha while resting in Lumbini under a Sal tree.  This was in the month of May in the year 642 B.C. It is said that Maya Devi was spellbound by the natural beauty of Lumbini and while she was standing, she felt labor pains and catching hold of a drooping branch of a Sal tree, the baby, the future Buddha, was born. A stone marks the exact spot, where Lord Buddha was born.  Since then, Buddhists and Hindus have revered the Sal tree and its resin.

The Sal tree is worshipped among Buddhists and Hindus in India for another reason:  legend has it that the famous Lumbini tract where Lord Buddha had sat for meditation and acquired salvation constituted a thick forest of Sal trees.

The dark and heady Sal Amrit (nectar) Oil has a beautifully clean peppery and smoky richness that facilitates meditation.  It is one of the main components and base in many Himalayan incenses and is said to promote serenity and mental energy.

The third chakra is known as the power chakra, located in the solar plexus. It rules our personal power, will, and autonomy, as well as our metabolism. When healthy, this chakra brings us energy, effectiveness, spontaneity, and non-dominating power.