PATCHOULI

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has often been said that if you remember the 1960’s, you weren’t really there. The 1960’s and 70’s had an energy and momentum all to itself and many of the fashions and ideas were unique to that time. One such remarkable 60’s thing is the scent of patchouli. This aroma was a keynote of the hippy/flower child generation. Every hippie worth his bellbottoms wore it as a perfume or burned it as incense.  

 

Patchouli is steamed distilled from the pogostemon patchouli plant, which is found primarily in Malaysia and SE Asian countries. It has been used as a fixative in perfumes throughout history.

 

Primary Benefits

Grounding, balancing effect on emotions.

Promotes a smooth, glowing complexion.

Reduces the appearance of wrinkles, scars, and stretch marks.

 

Emotional Benefits

There is a good reason why that generation gravitated towards this fragrance. Not only is it considered an aphrodisiac, but it is also an incredible sedative in large doses. Kids back then were beginning to open to their more spiritual side and patchouli helped by stimulating the third eye/pituitary chakra, allowing for higher vision. It brought an objectivity and independence that “the Beat” generation needed in order to grab hold of their own code of reality, rejecting all that was Establishment. Patchouli increases imaginative thought processes and is said to connect one to their own body, helping a person release patterns of shame or "not enough-ness", and feel more self-love and acceptance towards their physical self. It does this by acting as a grounding support, helping you to reconnect with and settle into your body. In this way it compliments exercises that encourage body mindfulness, such as tai chi or yoga asanas. It can also help to relieve feelings of anxiousness or stress, the things we often feel when we begin to disassociate and feel ungrounded or unbalanced.

 

It is an antidepressant and tonic. Used in skin care, patchouli is great for cell rejuvenation. It helps with acne, cracked skin, eczema, scar tissue and old wrinkled skin. Its fungicidal properties make it useful for athlete’s foot, dandruff and fungal infections. It is also effective applied to stings and insect bites to decrease inflammation and itching.  

 

Therapeutically, it is a nervine, calming and regulating the nervous system, allowing for energy to smoothly flow. It can sharpen the wits, bring clarity to problems, bring thoughts cohesively together and open to objectivity.

 

Patchouli has a distinct and lingering smell. Some people love it, others say it smells of old musty attics, or of damp moldy earth. Whether you like the scent or not, it has its place as one of the more widely used aromatherapy oils.

 

Body Systems Affected

Skin

 

Complementary Oils

Patchouli blends with bergamot, clary sage, frankincense, geranium, ginger, lavender, lemongrass, myrrh, pine, rosewood, sandalwood.

 

PreCautions of Patchouli Oil

Patchouli can be overused. In therapy a little can stimulate and invigorate, but too much sedates and stupefies. It can feel narcotic in its effects with overuse and cause depression and anxiety— just the opposite of what it does in therapeutic doses. With overuse, it can dull the senses and bring a feeling of cloudiness and intoxication, a feeling of being “out of it”. This is a case of “too much of a good thing”.