Essential Oils - Patchouli

Botanical Name: Pogostemon cablin

• Oil Properties

• History behind this oil

• Who can benefit from this oil?

• How to use this oil

• Method of Extraction

• Precautions

• How to buy Genuine Essential Oil?

• Blends Well With

Patchouli is well known to natives of Malaysia and India. One can easily figure out this perennial bushy plant that is about 3 feet with a strong and hair stem. Flower of this plant are whitish with a touch of purple in it. These were some facts about the patchouli plant and now lets explore patchouli essential oil.

 Oil Properties

This oil is very popular among people who are suffering from skin related problems. With a deep golden brown color, thick and sticky in texture, with musty-sweet, spicy and strong smell this oil is somewhat oriental in quality and mysterious in nature.

This oil has properties that can help to protect mature and dry skin.

The chemical components of Patchouli oil are Patchoulol, Cardinene, Eugenol, Benzoic and Cinnamic.

History behind this oil

It has a long history and belongs to oriental region, specifically India and Malaysia. However, it has its roots in Japan and china too, where it was and still is used to prevent or cure diseases, like headache, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Some believe that patchouli word is a combination of two words 'patches' which means 'green' and 'ilai' that means 'leaf' and derived from India.

It has a interesting history behind it, in earlier days when Indian cashmere shawls where exported to Victorian England, patchouli oil was placed between shawls to protect it from moth, and also without the smell of this oil, shawls could not be sold.

Patchouli and Camphor give Indian ink its distinguishing smell.

However, in Europe it was brought 1820 and became popular as a scent in hippie period around 1960's.

Who can benefit from this oil?

This oil works wonder for people having skin related problems. Patchouli oil works as an antiseptic, anti-depressant, astringent, anti-inflammatory, aphrodisiac, carminative, diuretic, antipyretic, fungicide, insecticide, sedative and tonic. Relives and helps in recovering with acne, dermatitis, eczema, frigidity, hair care, mature skin, athlete's foot, fatigue, and good for minor burns.

It can be helpful with the re-growth of skin cells and scar tissue. Patchouli oil can assist with stress related conditions and anxiety. Also helps to fight out any type of addictions.

This oil is good for conditions such as cellulite, constipation, overweight and scalp disorders. Good oil in summers as it helps to cool down in hot weather cause of its deodorizing properties.

How to use this oil

Patchouli oil works great with diffusers, as it creates an atmosphere of desire cause of its aphrodisiac properties. When diffused its aroma spreads and makes a person feel relax and stressed free.

Massaging with this oil mixed with some carrier oil helps in conditions like obesity, cellulite and body aches. Just massage this oil to lower abdomen fro overweight with a soft and circular motion.

Aromatic bath, mix oil in warm water, soak for at least 10 minutes, and one will definitely feel relax and free of stress and tensions. Applying this oil directly to the affected area like scalp and other skin infections, will have positive results. It can be used neat on insect bites.

This oil works great on insect bites and as insect repellent when used with burners and vaporizers. This vapor therapy is also effective for anxiety and overweight. Apart from this if this oil is mixed in a lotion and applied regularly, helps in conditions like dermatitis, eczema, sores, athlete's foot and general skin care.

Method of Extraction

This oil is extracted from the young leaves that are dried and fermented prior to steam distillation. This type of distillation is very effective, not expensive and provides with the best essential oil qualities.

Patchouli oil improves with age and gives a fuller odor.

There are many methods of extracting essential oils and it depending on the source from where the oil is extracted. Here we will see how clove oil extracted. This oil is extracted from the leaves, stem and buds via steam distillation, yet it is only the clove bud oil which is used in aromatherapy, since it contains the least Eugenol.

Steam distillation is very simple and cost effective method of extracting essential oils. Lets see how it works, when hot steam is forced in through the plant material, it forces and opens the pores where the oil resides. Now we got the steam, which contains essential oil, this potion is now passed through cooling system to condense the steam, which then forms a liquid from which essential oil and water is separated.

One thing has to be taken care, the temperature, should be just suitable to allow the essential oil flow through plant material. However, if the temperature is high it can burn of the essential oil.

Some oils are very heat sensitive and this method is good for these oils, which protects there healing qualities.

Precautions

The oil is non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing but the smell of Patchouli oil may be a little persistent for some people and it may cause loss of appetite in some individuals.

A few drops may seem very little but all oils are extremely potent and concentrated. Using more than the recommended amount may result in an adverse response, e.g. too much relaxant may produce irritation and anxiety.

How to buy Genuine Essential Oil?

Essential oils have to be Genuine, authentic, unadulterated, pure, holistic, and therapeutic to provide you the desired results. However, it is not so easy to figure out the purity and quality of oils. So many factors contribute for the oil to be pure.

Well as we know, many essential oils are quite expense cause of the process of manufacturing it, like Jasmine oil which cannot be inexpensive cause of its cost of harvesting and production.

Only genuine essential oils can guarantee the anticipated healing effect. This is the fact and one should be aware of some basic factors before purchasing essential oil. Tell me what is the use of purchasing something that is expensive and not genuine. Mostly these oils are mixed with some carrier oils and people are easily fooled. However, blends of essential oil and carrier oil are also available in the market, but that should be specified.

However, there are some important things to note down while purchasing oil

• Family of plant the oil belong

• Botanical name of the oil should be specified on the bottle

• Country of origin also matters cause of atmospheric conditions

• Smelling the oil can work out wonder, if one know the aroma of the oil, nothing like that. Try to become used to the aroma by smelling them whenever one gets a chance.

• Buy from a genuine dealer

• Check out the spellings of oil on the bottle before purchasing

These were some of the facts taken care before purchasing an essential oil.

However, when buying an essential oil make sure the documentation which is with oil should contain information about the growth, harvest, distillation, and chemical make-up of the oil, There are many tests too to check the purity of the oil but they are too expensive. So our suggestion is to know the oil by yourself and do remember the things we have discussed.

Blends Well With:

Although essential oils blend well with one another, Patchouli oil blends particularly well with Bergamot, Clary Sage, Geranium, Lavender and Myrrh.