Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) is a plant in the Lamiaceae family native to tropical regions of Asia. Its strong, woody scent has long made it a popular botanical both for incense and other forms of perfumery.

A small, perennial herb, patchouli grows in warm climates throughout Asia, stretching from Cambodia to Taiwan to the Philippines. It thrives in hot, humid weather, and though the plant is quick to wither and dry out when it's low on water, a quick shower will bring it back to life easily.

While the patchouli plant is now extensively cultivated across countries, Indonesia remains the top supplier, producing nearly 90% of the global volume of patchouli oil year after year.

Despite its somewhat musty scent, the patchouli plant is actually quite verdant. In fact, the word patchouli comes from the Tamil patchai, meaning green leaf. In addition to its grassy foliage, the plant also bears small, pale-pink flowers. These buds are not very fragrant, however; its the patchouli's leaves and stems that are reserved to be steam distilled into essential oil.

These leaves and stems can be harvested several times a year, though opinions differ on the best time to extract their oil. Some say fresh is best, while others argue that boiling the dried leaves and then fermenting them leads to the most potent, high quality oil.

This oil is an important ingredient in incense, which releases fragrant smoke when burned. The ritual of burning incense has a storied past, holding both cultural and religious significance in many parts of the world. In the 60s across the US and Europe, the practice became a part of the counterculture hippie movement, which is why today the scent of patchouli has strong ties to the age of free love.

The plant's uses don't stop there. In addition to being a favorite fragrance, patchouli oil is also used to repel pests. It is remarkably effective at keeping away the Forosman subterranean termite, a species of insect native to southern China, Taiwan, Japan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, and the continental United States known for consuming wood at a rapid rate.

At AMASS, we use patchouli in Forest Bath to lend a warm, earthy note to the scent.