View source for Patchouli

{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = Patchouli
| image = Pogostemon cablin0.jpg
| image_width = 240px
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[dicotyledon|Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Lamiales]]
| familia = [[Lamiaceae]]
| genus = '''''[[Pogostemon]]'''''
| species = '''''P. cablin'''''
| binomial = ''Pogostemon cablin''
| binomial_authority = [[George Bentham|Benth.]]
}}

'''Patchouli''' (also '''patchouly''' or '''pachouli''') is both a plant and an [[essential oil]] ('''paatchouli oil''') obtained from the leaves of a plant of the same name. The scent of patchouli is heavy and strong. It has been used for centuries in [[perfume]]s, and is grown in the East and West Indies. The word derives from the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] ''patchai'' பச்சை (green), ''ellai'' இலை (leaf).

Patchouli oil and [[incense]] underwent a surge in popularity in the [[1960s]] and [[1970s]], mostly among devotees of the [[free love]] and [[hippie]] lifestyles, since the pungent smell of patchouli is known to cover the smell of burnt [[cannabis]].{{Fact|date=September 2007}} During the [[Vietnam war]], American soldiers used patchouli to mask the smell of the graves of enemy soldiers killed in combat.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}  War protesters of the time used patchouli on themselves, to demonstrate that "we are all one race, we are the same as the enemy soldiers."{{Fact|date=September 2007}}  Also, the [[Hare Krishna]] movement may have been partly responsible for this surge,{{Fact|date=September 2007}} as the god [[Krishna]] is said to "inhabit" patchouli.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}  It can also be used as a hair conditioner for [[dreadlocks]].  One study suggests Patchouli oil may serve as an outdoor insect repellent<ref name="phyto"><i>Phytotherapy Research</i> 2005, vol 19, pp 303–9.</ref>.

Despite its common association with an alternative lifestyle, patchouli has found widespread use in modern industry.  It is a component in about a third of modern, high-end [[perfume]]s, including more than half of perfumes for men{{Fact|date=18 June 2007}}. Patchouli is also an important ingredient in East Asian [[incense]]. It is also used as a scent in products like [[paper]] towels, laundry [[detergent]]s, and air fresheners.  The [[essential oil]] is obtained by [[steam distillation]] of the dried leaves of the plant – a process which provides a relatively high yield of the oil. An important component of the essential oil is [[patchoulol]].

During the 18th and 19th century silk traders from China travelling to the Middle East packed their [[silk]] cloth with dried patchouli leaves to prevent [[moth]]s from laying their eggs on the cloth. Many historians speculate that this association with opulent eastern goods is why patchouli was considered by Europeans of that era to be a luxurious scent. This trend has continued to the present day in modern perfumery.

The plant and oil have a number of claimed health benefits in herbal folk-lore, and its scent is used with the aim of inducing relaxation.

The patchouli plant is a bushy [[herb]] reaching two or three feet in height. The plant grows well in southern climates. It enjoys hot weather but not direct sunlight.  If the plant withers due to lack of watering it will recover well and quickly once it has been watered.  The seed-bearing flowers are very fragrant and bloom in late fall.  The tiny seeds may be harvested for planting, but they are very delicate and easily crushed. Cuttings from the mother plant can also be rooted in water to produce further plants.

Patchouli is a tropical member of the mint family, grown in the East and West Indies. Leaves are harvested several times a year, dried, and exported for distillation of the oil, although the highest quality oil is usually produced from fresh leaves, distilled close to the plantation.<ref name="grieve">Grieve, Maude(1995) ''A Modern Herbal'' [http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/p/patcho15.html]. 2007.</ref>

==External links==
*[http://ask.yahoo.com/19991124.html What is the fragrance patchouli?], from ask.Yahoo.com
*[http://www.philosophyfactory.com/deter/index.shtml Natural Insect Repellents] Natural Insect Repellents

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Lamiaceae]]
[[Category:Incense]]
[[Category:Perfumery]]
[[Category:Insect repellents]]