Spotlight On: Patchouli

Botanical Name: Pogostemon cablin

Type of Plant: Herb

Method of Extraction: Steam distillation of the dried or macerated leaves

Patchouli is a part of the mint family , and you can certainly see the family resemblance when you look at the above photo.  This oil is often associated with the hippie era of the 60s and 70s.  It’s easy to see why patchouli was chosen by Mother Nature’s children as their fragrance of choice – because it smells just like the earth.  Or dirt.  Or mildew.   Actually, to me, patchouli has always smelled like a cottage that’s been closed up all winter long.

Lest I give you the wrong impression, I should probably clarify here that I don’t hate patchouli, but I do find it a bit hard to take on its own.  It can blend beautifully, though.  I paired it with Bitter Orange to make a brown sugar scrub for my partner to use after he’s been cleaning fish.  He likes that it’s a nice ‘manly’ scent, since I’m normally partial to sweet-smelling scrubs, like this one.

In therapy, this oil is excellent for all manner of skin problems.  Patchouli is anti-inflammatory and fungicidal, so this would be a great one for athlete’s foot.  It is a very grounding oil, so it’s also very helpful in chakra work, especially when balancing the Root chakra.