What Is Patchouli Good for

Patchouli, which was originally found in Southeast Asia, has a pungent and spicy odor. The herb has proved itself to be valuable to such industries as textiles and perfume. It's also a popular personal care item since it's a natural product that can be used by people of all ages.

Moth Repellent

• When clothing and other cloth products were exported from India in the 19th century, they were scented with patchouli since the smell kept moths away and preserved the material during shipment. Today, people use patchouli sachets, liquid diffusers or cotton balls soaked in the oil to keep moths out of their clothes.

Air Freshener

• The herb can be used as a form of air freshener. During the rise of the drug culture in the 1960s and 1970s, people liked to burn it to mask the smell of marijuana since patchouli also has an earthy, musky scent. Designer Ed Hardy even has a patchouli-scented air freshener to hang in your car.

Perfume

• Patchouli is popular with the perfume industry. While it is the body (or "heart note") for some perfumes, such as Tom Ford's White Patchouli, it is commonly a "base note" (one of the components in the perfume whose aroma lingers the longest), such as Laroche's Drakkar Noir. When blended with other oils, it helps their smells last longer by preventing them from evaporating too quickly.

Pheromones

• Some people wear undiluted patchouli oil as a perfume because they like the scent. Some splash it on their skin for a more specific purpose: to make themselves more sexually attractive. Patchouli is considered to be a pheromone, one of the chemicals our bodies excrete to attract the opposite sex for mating.

Aromatherapy

• The oil has several uses in the practice of aromatherapy. It is a known stress reliever and antidepressant that can relax patients yet leave them feeling stimulated and balanced. People who are suffering from sexual ailments due to anxiety, such as impotence, are treated with this oil; inhaling it is also said to suppress your appetite.

Skin

• The herb is added to skin-care products to encourage healing and to maintain its health. It clears up acne, prevents scars from forming by encouraging the growth of new skin and is an astringent that tones and tightens your skin. Other skin ailments like athlete's foot, inflammation, eczema and cuts that are slow to heal are treated with products containing patchouli.

Medicinal Uses

• Such countries as Japan and Malaysia have long used the plant's leaves and oil for medicinal purposes. Among the sicknesses it has been used to treat are flu symptoms like fevers, dysentery and diarrhea; such stomach ailments as nausea and vomiting; headaches; hemorrhoids; varicose veins; and burns.