Everything You Need To Know About Patchouli Plant

Patchouli plant is a native of the tropics. The scientific name of the plant is

Pogostemon cablin. It is bushy variety of herb and belongs to the mint family. It

grows to a maximum height of 2 or 3 feet and bears small pale pink-white

flowers. It is widely grown in countries like Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Mauritius,

China. Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and also West Africa. The name is derived

from Tamil language, patchai meaning green and elai meaning leaf and hence

the name Patchouli.

Characteristics

The major characteristics of the genus Pgostemon include flowers in whorls in

the upper leaf axils; a tubular, five-toothed calyx; a tubular corolla with four

almost similar lobes, and one style with two stigmas. They bear fruits are four

nutlets which closely resembles a seed.

Patchouli in USA

Though it is a native of the tropics, patchouli plant has been successfully

cultivated in the temperate conditions of the USA, at least since 1900s. The

common species of patchouli grown in the USA are, P.cablin and P.heyneanus.

They are locally called smooth or java patchouli. Both species are shrubs that

grow to a height of 3 metres at favourable conditions. The leaves of the plants

are egg shaped and almost 4 inches long. The flowers of P.cablin are white in

colour whereas the one of P.heyneanus is purplish pink in color. Both of them are

not as fragrant as their Asian counterparts.

Patchouli Uses

Patchouli plant is well known for its fragrance. The essential oil extracted from

the plant is used for making fragrant articles. Even the people who don’t care

about the fragrance of the oil would find the fragrance emanating from the leaves

to be pleasant.

The oil extracted from the plant is majorly used in the perfume industry. The

major producers of perfumes using patchouli oil are India, China, Indonesia,

Malaysia and Brazil. The oil is extracted by steam distillation of leaves and stem.

They are harvested two or three times a year. The fragrance is improved if the

dried leaves are allowed to age before distillation.

Patchouli oil is an excellent insect repellent. It has used since pre-historic times

to keep moths away. It was primary used by the Chinese during their days of the

silk trade.

Patchouli oil is a major ingredient in soaps and oils. They are also a key

component in deo to prevent body odor.

The oil can also be used as an antiseptic and astringent.

Patchouli oil is used in incense sticks which are very common in India and China.

Growing patchouli plant and attaining better yield with the help of Biofield

Energy Transmission

The Biofield Energy Transmission of The Trivedi Effect® transforms the plants

at the molecular level and enhances the yield and production. Various

researches conducted using the biofield energy transmission has proved that the

yield has increased dramatically. To know more about the research conducted on

patchouli plant visit, www.trivediscience.com