Hello, patchouli: the signature scent of flower children around the world.
With its musky, dusty fragrance that fosters peace, love and calming, no wonder patchouli was the love child of the hippie era. Loaded into fragrance oils and incense, its long-lingering scent was also great value and hung in the air long after its source was gone.
For all its sense and impartment of free spirit, patchouli’s scent is a tenacious terrier of the fragrance world, making it continually appealing as a fixative in perfume making. Couple that with its muskiness and it’s a perfect inclusion for perfumers, whether commercial producers or small-batch all-natural olfactory alchemists.
Patchouli’s name means ‘green leaf’ and this bushy, herbaceous perennial has small white-pink flowers along with its large green leaves. You’ll find it growing natively throughout tropical regions of South-East Asia should you decide to trek around the countryside there.
Steam distilled from its flowers, the key constituents in patchouli essential oil are patchoulol (around 1/3 of its total compounds), bulnesene and alpha-guaiene which are sesquiterpenes. Sesquiterpenes are fabulous for inhalation to help the mind find its equilibrium and wonderfully supportive for yoga, meditation and any time you’re wanting to find a sense of peace and quiet within.
Patchouli is part of the very extended Lamiaceae botanical family, which includes basil, clary sage, dorado azul (one of Young Living’s discovered Ecuador oils), hyssop, lavandin and true lavender, marjoram, melissa, mountain savory, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, sage, spearmint, thyme, vitex.
In Ayurvedic terms, patchouli helps calm and ground you. And if your Vata dosha is overactive, it helps settle it down with its warm, moist properties.
We always choose Young Living Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) essential oil because we know and trust this company’s Seed to Seal® process to produce the best quality there is. You’ll love its muskiness and complexity. Please click here to order: use the search function to add it to your cart. If prompted for an enroller number, please use ours and you’ll join our Good Oil Team for support: 221498.
A highly sensual essential oil, when you want to feel uplifted and adored (and this means loving and appreciating yourself so others can), open your bottle of genuine essential oil of patchouli. It also helps to release jealousies, obsessions and insecurities. Apply a drop to your wrists, smooth together and inhale. Apply another drop and smooth behind your ears. Add several drops of patchouli to your favourite carrier oil like Young Living V-6 Enhanced Vegetable Complex for a pampering massage that awakens your senses and fosters self-confidence and romance.
Patchouli is also highly regarded for its nurturing properties for your skin and nails, so using this massage oil blend as an all-over moisturiser including your nails before you send yourself to bed will have those sheep counting themselves as you drift off and give your skin and nails a regular recuperative treat.
For an exotic waft when you open your wardrobe and linen closet, apply patchouli to cedar balls and bowls of cedar chips to give your clothing and fabrics a delicious scent and help repel insects.
DIY Natural Insect Repellent
Add 10 drops of patchouli and 20 drops of Young Living Purification™ essential oil blend to around 125 mL of natural skin toner (we love Young Living ART Refreshing Toner for this) and spritz all over (avoiding the eyes!) for a DIY natural insect repellent and post-bite soother should any of the little blighters make it through. This quantity of oils is just a guide. Try and adjust as you find best suits your skin.
Patchouli can be diffused, inhaled directly from the bottle or put a drop in your palms and cup over your nose and inhale; dilute 1:2 with carrier oil for topical application and use as a perfume or aftershave; and apply on chakra and VitaFlex points.
You’ll find patchouli included in these Young Living products and blends: Abundance™, Allerzyme Capsules, Animal Scents Ointment, DiGize™, Live with Passion™, Magnify Your Purpose™, Orange Blossom Facial Wash, Peace & Calming™, and Rose Ointment. (Not all products are available in all markets, particularly foods, supplements and ointments, but please check the NFR programme in case you can order them there.)
Essential oils are potent, so as always, please follow directions on the bottle and the usual guidelines for safe use of authentic essential oils.
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