Patchouli: The “Green Leaf” Oil with Power

One cannot be indifferent to the fragrance of this one-of-a-kind essential oil. Patchouli is an amazing oil that brings you to the depth of the earth, grounds you – and thereby leads you back to the body. The name “Patchouli” derives from Tamil language (South Indian), “patchai” meaning “green” and “ellai” denoting “leaf” . Yes, this “green leaf” oil – once so popular during the Hippie time – has many secrets and wonders waiting to be revealed or rediscovered…

Origin and processing
A species of the genus Pogostemon, Patchouli belongs to the Lamiaceae plant family, the same group to which Lavender, Basil, Sage etc. belong. It is a bushy, perennial, peppermint-leaf-like herb with erect, sturdy, hairy stems reaching about 0,75 meter in height and bearing large, slightly furry and surprisingly fragrant leaves. The lowers are greenish white, often with a lilac touch. The herb is native to tropical regions of Asia, especially Malaysia, Indonesia, and India, but today it is extensively cultivated also in China, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and even in West Africa. The plant gets cut two or three times per year with the leaves harvested during the rainfall period producing the best quality.

The scent prole unfolds intense woody-balsamic, earthy, exotic and sometimes smoky features. There are notes of Amber, Vanilla and Rockrose (Cistus) which come with it. The fragrance of the essential oil improves progressively with age giving rise to a more well-rounded scent quality.

The essential oil is obtained through steam distillation of the dried, slightly fermented leaves yielding 2-3% of essential oil. Due to the long duration of 8–11 hours of distillation this standard processing often causes so-called “thermal degradation“ of various compounds in the oil. Quality batch control “from the source“ is therefore an important factor when acquiring Patchouli oil. 

In our times Patchouli underwent an increase in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s in the USA and Europe. It is still a preferred scent among the members of the counterculture. Nowadays the essential oil is widely used in the perfume industry – also due to its “base note” character, meaning: its ability of slowing down or holding back evaporation of other essential oils in the perfume blends so that their scent can be kept for a longer period of time.

Rich compounds with rich curative effects

Due to its insect repellent properties Patchouli was used by silk traders travelling to the Middle East and Europe. They packed dried Patchouli leaves between their silk cloth to keep moths from depositing their eggs on the textiles. Thus, the fragrance of Patchouli was omnipresent in Indian fabric and clothes during the 18 and 19 century.

With its strong musky-spicy ground notes Patchouli oil sticks out from the panoply of essential oils. Certainly due to the large variety of heavier compounds (mainly molecules with 15 carbon atoms) its regenerative, purifying, and tonic effects on the skin (acne, herpes, cracked skin etc.) are remarkable and have been well described – also in folk medicine of Asia. 

Medicinal properties

Patchouli’s astringent effect helps to prevent premature ageing of the skin – it acts as an excellent tissue regenerator which makes it also useful against sagging skin, varicose veins, and even an interesting helper in case of hair-loss. The oil shows strong effects against inflammations, especially when resulting from fever. It is also often used in case of arthritis and gout – and, not unlike numerous other essential oils, Patchouli oil fights well certain fungal and bacterial infections. Moreover, the oil has good wound-healing and antiseptic properties, and is an excellent diuretic. 

Reference

https://www.oshadhi.co.uk/blog/