沉香木是瑞香科（Thymelaeaceae）植物白木香干燥木质结油部分，是一种木材、香料和中药。沉香木植物树心部位当受到外伤或真红油菌感染刺激后，会大量分泌树脂帮助愈合，过程中产生浓郁香气的组织物。这些部分因为密度很大，能沉入水下，又被称为“沉水香”。
Aloes wood is a kind of wood, spice and traditional Chinese medicine. When agarwood plants tree heart area is stimulated by trauma or true red oil fungus infection, will secrete a lot of resin to help heal, the process of producing rich aroma tissue. Because these parts are so dense, they can sink under the water.
在世界上很多地方，沉香木是珍贵的香料，被用作燃烧熏香、提取香料、加入酒中，或直接雕刻成装饰品。沉香木又名沉水香。沉香木质硬，大多不浮于水，味微苦，带甘甜。燃烧时的浓烟散发出强烈香气，并有黑色油状物渗出。沉香木主要分布于我国的两广以及云南和福建等地，东亚国家以印度尼西亚、马来西亚、新加坡所产的沉香（新州香）质量最佳。
Aloes wood is a precious spice in many parts of the world, used to burn incense, extract spices, add to wine, or carve directly into ornaments. Aloes wood also known as sinensis. Aloes wood hard, most do not float in the water, taste slightly bitter, with sweet. The burning smoke gave off a strong aroma and oozed black oil. Aloes wood is mainly distributed in guangdong, guangdong, yunnan, fujian and other places in China. The aloes produced in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore are of the best quality in east Asian countries.
《本草纲目》中记载：沉香木具有强烈的抗菌效能、香气入脾、清神理气、补五脏、止咳化痰、暖胃温脾、通气定痛、能入药，是上等药材极品。沉香木种类很多，按其油脂含量分为“沉水”（这是沉香中实质或较中间的部份，膏脂凝结较紧密、结实的部份，投水即沉）、“笺”（半浮半沉）和“黄熟香”（不沉于水）三种。
"Compendium of materia medica" records: aloes wood has a strong antibacterial efficacy, aroma into the spleen, clearing the spirit of qi, tonifying the five zang, relieving cough and eliminating phlegm, warming the stomach and spleen, ventilation and pain, can be used in medicine, is the best quality medicinal materials. There are many kinds of aloes wood, according to its fat content is divided into "sink water" (this is the essence of aloes or more in the middle of the part, paste fat condensation more closely, firm part, water sink), "jian" (half floating half sinking) and "huang shuxiang" (not sink in water) three.
沉香树因病变开始结香后，会经历漫长的生长期，至少需要几千年至几万年的时间，但一块优质的沉香木要数万年甚至上百万年才能形成，因此产量极少，市场供不应求，因此十分珍贵，具有很高的收藏价值。另外，沉香的木材、树头和树根都可用来制作高级线香，用于拜祭和熏香。
Aloes trees will experience a long growth period, at least thousands to tens of thousands of years, but a piece of high-quality aloes wood to tens of thousands or even millions of years to form, so the output is very little, the market is in short supply, so it is very precious, with a high collection value. In addition, the wood, tree heads and roots of aloes can be used to make fine incense for worship and incense.
此块沉香木为一整块，长1.6米，未经修饰，质地坚硬、油脂饱满，还是上等的雕刻材料。沉香雕刻品古朴浑厚，深沉润泽，别具风韵，极具收藏价值。沉香对雕工的技艺要求很高，其难度远大于其它木 材，沉香凝聚了油质和木质两种特征，质地不均匀，外表和内里的油脂走向不易拿捏，所以不易下刀，因而好的沉香木雕极为稀奇珍贵。
This piece of aloes wood for a block, 1.6 meters long, undecorated, hard texture, full of oil, or a first-class carving material. Aloes sculpture is simple and simple, deep and moist, unique charm, very valuable for collection. Agarwood is very demanding to the skill of carver, its difficulty is far more than other wood material, agarwood agglomerates oily qualitative and woodiness two kinds of characteristic, quality of a material is not even, the grease in exterior and inside is not easy to take hold of, so not easy to go under the knife, so good agarwood carving is extremely rare and precious.