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Thank you John , I learned loads reading that.Patchouli
Back in my hippie days in the late 1960s, when I was completely ignorant about fragrances, I thought that patchouli was some type of herb and spice blend, sort of like a potpourri. For many people my age who grew up in the sixties, it was the smell of headshops, where it apparently was used sometimes to mask the smell of marijuana. It was supposed to have been brought to Western markets by backpackers on the 'Hippie Trail' through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. Its distinctive earthy scent appealed to the back-to-the-earthers of the time. In the movie High Fidelity, John Cusack yells, "Get your patchouli stink out of my store!" at the bohemian Tim Robbins. Patchouli really was ubiquitous then, and because of its strong, overwhelming scent seemingly everywhere, I eventually grew to dislike it. (In addition, a lot of the patchouli used in the 1960s was low quality.) However, more recently I have begun to really appreciate its presence in shaving and cosmetic products.
Patchouli (from the Tamil pachai, pachilai, or pacculi, meaning 'green leaf;' or Hindi pacholi, 'to scent') is a species of the aromatic family Lamiaceae, commonly called the mint or deadnettle family. It grows as a perennial bushy shrub, with strong upright stems reaching a height of around 3 feet and bearing soft, hairy leaves and small, pale, pink-purple to white flowers. It grows well in warm to tropical climates, thriving in hot weather but not direct sunlight. The flowers produce seeds, but the plants are commonly propagated from cuttings. The seed-producing flowers are quite fragrant and blossom in late fall.
It grows wild in Sumatra and Java at higher elevations (3,000-6,000 feet). Pogostemon cablin and other pogostemons are all cultivated for their essential oil. Patchouli is generally considered a Bengali Indian herb, but it also is native to Malaysia and possibly the Phillippines. Today about 90% of patchouli oil comes from Indonesia, with significant amounts also coming from China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and West Africa. Smaller crops are grown in the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Madagascar, and Pakistan, and in areas of South America and the Caribbean.
As with many plants, traditional uses of patchouli date back thousands of years. Egypt's King Tutankhamun is reputed to have had 10 gallons of patchouli oil buried with him in his tomb, and the Romans used it as an appetite stimulant. It is recorded as being grown in China by the 5th century BCE, although this may have been different but similar plant. It was introduced to commercial Indian growth in 1834, and it eventually arrived in the Middle East along the silk trading routes, and then subsequently in Europe and England. During the Victorian era the leaves were folded into cashmere shawls and packed along with spices, silks, carpets, and other treasures shipped from British-colonized India and Malaysia, in order for its insect-repellant properties to protect the items from moths and other pests. The scent of patchouli permeated the fabrics during transport, adding a layer of exotic allure. Eventually the scent became a sign of 'Oriental' authenticity, and customers sometimes refused to buy unscented shawls; unscrupulous producers of unauthentic shawls layered them with patchouli leaves, allowing them to be passed off as genuine. Empress Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III, was among the first in 19th century Europe to favor shawls for their protection against chills without the beauty of her gowns. Soon patchouli-scented shawls became fashionable in France, paralleling the rise of patchouli as a Western fragrance ingredient. Its use in perfumery has increased since that time, although recently it has fallen out of favor somewhat.
The leaves of the patchouli plant produce the essential oil in hair-like glanduar trichomes. The leaves are harvested by hand two or three times per year, with the best oil derived from leaves harvested in the wet season. A few sources have claimed that the highest quality patchouli oil is produced from fresh, undried leaves distilled immediately and close to where they are harvested, like the leaves of other aromatic plants such as mint or eucalyptus. But traditionally, patchouli leaves have been fermented/dried first. They are bundled or baled and allowed to dry partially and ferment for a few days in the shade to soften the cell walls before being dried further. The topmost mature leaves are then placed on bamboo mats in direct sunlight, with the leaves not touching one another. They are frequently checked, turned over, and moved slightly to prevent molding or drying too quickly and becoming crumbly. Once they are determined by observation to be ready, they are placed in a still for steam distillation, with a volume yield of about 3.5%. When first extracted, the essential oil is slightly viscous and has an orange hue. The oil often is aged, with the color and viscosity deepening and the olfactory profile changing so that the earthier, darker notes emerge. Patchouli oil also is now becoming available as a CO2 extract in limited quantities.
The two main natural chemical components of patcholi oil are patchoulol (25-35%), a sesquiterpene alcohol, and norpatchoulenol, a tricyclic terpenoid. Despite the ease and low cost of its production, agricultural methods result in unreliable, inconsistent, or unsustainable quality and supply, and there are synthetic patchoulis now being developed and produced. The synthetic biology pioneer Amyris and Firmenich, the largest flavor and fragrance company, have developed a novel bioprocess for making large volumes of quality patchouli oil from yeast. The synthetically altered microorganisms produce patchoulol, patchouli's key component, at a facility in Brotas, Brazil. The agricultural approach takes 6 months from planting to harvest, not including drying and extraction, while the manufacturing process results in high-quality oil in about 2 weeks. Supply chain problems are mitigated, but small farmers in the agricultural countries inevitably will be affected.
Patchouli is sweet and spicy, with an intense, musty, woody aroma that is reminiscent of wet soil. It contains the same dark, rich, earthy tone element that is present in vetiver. Its structure consists of sweet herbaceous top notes, a rich winey heart, and a balsamic woody base. Because of its association with dirt and drug use, and the contemporary preference for 'fresh,' simpler compounds, modern patchouli often is altered molecularly to remove the less desirable musty components. The oil still is very popular in perfume blends, especially the contemporary woody floral musks. It is especially complementary to vanilla and other sweet scents, and it mixes well with other essential oils, including vetiver, sandalwood, frankincense, bergamot, cedarwood, jasmine, rose, and citrus oils. Patchouli often is used as a base note in chypre, oriental, and powdery fragrances, pairing with the sweetness of bergamot, lavender, and rose and the smoothness of sandalwood. It is present in nearly all blends bearing a reference of any kind to India. It is sometimes thought to be too overwhelmingly earthy and heavy for haute perfumerie, but it actually is a basic building block of many of the genres. It also is valuable as a fixative, slowing the evaporation of other more volatile oils and thus extending the fragrance life of other perfume ingredients.
In addition to its use in perfumery, patchouli is widely added as an ingredient in modern scented industrial products, including paper towels, laundry detergents, and air fresheners. More traditionally, patchouli has been used in East Indian incense, in insect repellants, and as a medicinal ingredient to treat skin disease (inflammation, eczema, acne, chapping, dandruff, and scars), headaches, colic, muscle spasms, infections, insect and snake bites, and anxiety and depression. The leaves have been used to make herbal tea, and in some cultures they are eaten as a vegetable or used as a seasoning. The Chinese, Japanese, and Arabs have believed it to possess aphrodisiac properties.
In aromatherapy, patchouli is considered a grounding and balancing element, soothing and relaxing yet stimulating, and particularly relevant for conditions of weak immunity or other weakened states. It is said to bring the three principal forces within the body - Creative at the navel, the Heart center, and transcendental Wisdom at the crown - into harmony. The aroma of the oil is thought to relieve the strain of those with excessive mental activity, who feel 'out of touch' with their body, and is reputed to be helpful for impotence, frigidity, and lack of sensuality.
And in probably its least traditional use, Mattel employed patchouli oil in 1985 in the plastic used to produce the action figure Stinkor in the Masters of the Universe line of toys.
Well know fragrances dominated by patchouli:
Byblos Patchouly
Caswell-Massey Aura of Patchouli
Etro Patchouly
Gobin Daudé Jardins Ottomans
Jalaine Patchouli
L'Artisan Voleur de Roses
Lorenzo Villoresi Novella Patchouli
Lush Karma
Mazzolari Patchouly
Molinard Patchouli
Montale Patchouli Leaves
Santa Maria Novella Patchouli
Serge Lutens Borneo 1834
Fragrances with a patchouli component:
Arquiste Misfit
Azzaro pour Homme
Balenciaga Homme
Bath House Patchouli & Black Pepper
Bond No. 9 Bleecker Street
Byredo Velvet Haze
Christian Dior Patchouli Impérial
Crabtree & Evelyn Patchouli
D.S. & Durga Amber Kiso
Diptyque Tempo
Fragonard Zizanie
Frederic M Une Vie en Or pour Homme
Givenchy Gentleman
Givenchy Patchouli de Minuit
Guerlain L'Instant pour Homme
Henry Rose Dark is Night
Hugo Boss Cashmere & Patchouli
Lalique Eau de Lalique
Miller Harris Terre de Bois
Paul Sebastian Kinetic Male
Rochas Lui
Roger & Gallet L'Homme Patchouli
Saint Charles Shave Patchouli
Serge Lutens Fumerie Turque
Serge Lutens Un Bois Sepia
Thierry Mugler A*Men
Tom Ford Patchouli Absolu
Yves St. Laurent Rive Gauche pour Homme
Yves St. Laurent Kouros
Thank you John , I learned loads reading that.
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