Phytochemical Diversity and Evolving Strategies for the Quality Evaluation of Agarwood

BACKGROUND: Agarwood, a valuable resin-infused wood derived primarily from Aquilaria species (Thymelaeaceae), is widely used in traditional medicine, incense, perfumery, and healthcare products. Its growing scarcity, along with the demand for robust quality control, has driven extensive research, supported by advances in analytical technologies. Recent efforts have focused on elucidating the scientific basis of its traditional applications and promoting sustainable utilization. OBJECTIVES: This review aims to consolidate research progress of agarwood, encompassing updates on agarwood resources, newly identified chemical constituents (2020-2026), emerging analytical strategies, and recent pharmacological findings. It further seeks to outline future research directions to address existing challenges in quality evaluation and mechanistic understanding. METHODS: A systematic retrieval of recent literatures pertaining to agarwood was conducted. Through data extraction and integrative analysis, this review synthesizes the latest research progress and identifies prevailing trends in the field. RESULTS: Recent phytochemical studies have identified over 200 new chemical constituents (2020-2026), including structurally diverse dimeric compounds. Integrated analytical strategies combining spectroscopic, chromatographic, and sensor-based techniques have greatly improved the authentication, sensory evaluation, and grading of agarwood. Additionally, a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities attributable to agarwood has been extensively corroborated. CONCLUSION: This review documents recent advancements concerning the chemical compositions, analytical strategies, and pharmacological activities of agarwood. Challenges remain in mechanisms, structure-activity relationships, and compositional variation, hindering standardization. It will be essential for future work to deepen mechanistic insights and to identify key quality markers, thereby advancing the fields of quality control and translational research for agarwood.