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Patchouli Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.-Lamiaceae (mint) Family

Synonyms: Patchouly

Part Used: Leaves (must be dried)

Harvest Season: Harvested throughout the growing season

Botanical Description: Perennial shrub with hairy stems and large green leaves. It flowers only occasionally. It is native to tropical areas of Southeast Asia. There are other species of Pogostemon that contain essential oil, but they produce inferior oil. Java patchouli (P. heyneanus), also known as false patchouli, is sometimes distilled for its oil.

Origin: Native to tropical Asia, it is commercially cultivated in Indonesia, the Philippines, China and South America.

Growing Conditions: Patchouli prefers moist, but well-drained soil and cannot handle any frost. It can be grown from seed, but is usually propagated from cuttings.

Extraction Method: The oil is steam-distilled from the dried leaves.

Yield: 1.5 to 3%

Oil Characteristics: The oil is brown to dark orange and very viscous. The newly distilled oil has a slight fresh, green odor, but as it ages, the full complexity and richness of the aroma evolves. Good quality, well-aged patchouli has a subtle, faint, earthy, musty-animal aroma at first that evolves over several minutes into a nice, deep, rich, musty sweetness.

Aroma Profile Top Note: wine-like, elusive, floral Middle Note: rich, sweet-herbaceous, aromatic, spicy, woody-balsamic Dry-out: sweet, very tenacious

Major Constituents: patchouli alcohol (30%), α-bulnesene (20%), α-guaiene (15%), seychellene (8%), α-patchoulene, β-patchoulene, β-caryophyllene.

History: The fragrance of patchouli was first introduced to Europe by Napoleon when he brought patchouli-scented Indian shawls to Paris. Patchouli was being used in India to protect fine woolens from moths. It was also used throughout Southeast Asia as a medicine, incense and ingredient in perfumes.

In the U.S., it is sometimes associated with the ‘hippie days’ of the 1960s, and it is still in the top 15 essential oils sold today. It is used extensively to scent bodycare products, soaps and perfumes.

 Aromatherapy Benefits: Romantic, soothing, sensual

Clinical Studies: In one study, 22 oils were tested against 22 bacteria and 12 fungi. Patchouli was found to inhibit 21 of the 22 bacteria and all of the fungi. (1)

Patchouli was also found to be effective in another study against E.coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella enterica. (2)

Patchouli also seems to possess some repellant action as noted in a study where it clearly repelled and damaged subterranean termites. (3)

Cosmetic Uses: Patchouli is used as a cell rejuvenator and soothing agent on troubled, mature and irritated skin. It is also used in shampoos and conditioners for oily hair. In perfumes, it makes an excellent fixative, holding the scents of other ingredients

Safety: Patchouli is considered non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Quality: Patchouli leaves must be dried before distillation. Older oil has a richer odor.

Adulteration is occasionally done with cedarwood oil, vetiver residues and copaiba balsam.

Many a shopper is deceived into buying lower quality (not aged or adulterated) patchouli oil by taking a cursory whiff out of a tester bottle. The finest patchouli will seem weak and ineffectual to the lay person, because it takes several minutes for the deep, rich musty sweetness of authentic, high-quality patchouli oil to open up. Poor-quality patchouli oil may have a stronger aroma right out of the bottle, but the fragrance will be one-dimensional, un-evolving as time passes and lack the complexity of an authentic patchouli essential oil.

Regulatory Status: Food additive FDA 121.1163

Tim’s Notes: Everyone should buy a bottle of patchouli and put it away in their cupboard for a couple of years. The oil truly does improve with age.

When you grow your first patchouli plant, you realize that looks and scent don’t always go hand in hand. It is a very unassuming plant.

It was perhaps the most overused scent in dormitory rooms throughout the U.S. I can remember many a gathering in which nearly everyone seemed to smell like patchouli. It is still a very popular oil. It also blends well with many other oils.

References

1. Pattnaik S, Subramanyam VR, Kole C. Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activity of ten essential oils in vitro. PMID:889326, Cited in the PubMed database, Published in Microbios, 1996.
2. Friedman M, Henika PR, Mandrell RE. Bactericidal activities of plant essential oils and some of their isolated constituents against Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella enterica. PMID:12380738, Cited in the PubMed Database. Published in J Food Protection, 2002.
3. Zhu BC, Henderson G, Yu Y, Laine RA. Toxicity and repellency of Patchouli Oil and Patchouli Alcohol against Formoson subterranean termites. PMID:14705881, Published in Agriculture Food Chemistry, 2003.

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