Beauty

Description

Patchouli essential oil is a thick, volatile liquid of greenish-mustard or amber color with a warm, deep and bitter-tart aroma with woody and camphor notes, unusually sensual and persistent, obtained from the leaves of the tropical shrub of the same name, previously dried in special cabinets. A perennial herbaceous shrub of patchouli from the Lamiaceae family with wide ovate leaves, serrated along the edges, reaches a meter height in the wild in the Philippine Islands, and in cultivation on the island of Java, Sumatra, Singapore, Reyunyun and Sri Lanka, the plant can stretch up to five meters. In these hot areas, patchouli is grown mainly for the purpose of extracting essential oil from lightly dried raw materials by steam distillation. Despite active attempts to cultivate the shrub on the territory of the USSR (in Abkhazia) in the middle of the 20th century, patchouli did not take root there because of its extremely high sensitivity to frost, so all the essential oil on the Russian market is either imported or a cheap fake of unscrupulous manufacturers.

People learned to extract various essential oils from plants about 5 thousand years ago, which is confirmed by numerous archaeological finds of amphoras with remnants of aromatic substances in Mesopotamia, India, Egypt, Persia and China. Among them, traces of patchouli essential oil were found, which our ancient ancestors used not only in the beauty industry — aroma cosmetics, but also to protect fabrics and clothes from insect pests, as well as an additive in candle wax, smoking sticks, incense and smoking mixtures. By the way, patchouli oil is also used for the same purposes in a number of Eastern countries.

Chemical composition

The characteristic aroma of the oil is due to the high content of patchouli alcohol in it — patchulol (at least 30%). Other ingredients: copaene, nonpachuol, eugenol, benzaldehyde, patchoulene, guayene, caryophyllene, seychelen, pogostol, bulnesen, norpatchulenol.

Application

Patchouli oil is used in aromatherapy, the perfume industry (for example, Flora by Gucci), cosmetology and traditional medicine.

Medicinal properties of patchouli essential oil

In aromatherapy, patchouli oil is considered a powerful aphrodisiac that eliminates sexual coldness and female frigidity — it is used for intimate massage, added to aroma lamps and aroma incense burners in anticipation of the upcoming love connection and ecstasy. The product also has bactericidal, soothing, anti-inflammatory and tonic properties, which allows it to be used as an additive in various cosmetic products: creams, gels and shampoos. Massage of the facial area with patchouli oil rejuvenates the skin, prevents it from losing elasticity and sagging. The product perfectly helps with acne, eczema, dermatitis and dermatosis, accelerates the healing of purulent wounds, cuts and burns. Rubbing an aqueous solution of essential oil into the scalp strengthens the hair follicles and eliminates dandruff, a fungal infection of the skin.

Patchouli essential oil helps reduce appetite, get rid of chronic stress and physical fatigue — just add a few drops to herbal infusion. In folk medicine, it is recommended to carry out inhalations with patchouli oil for colds of the upper respiratory tract: influenza, pharyngitis, bronchitis, tracheitis.

Contraindications

Patchouli oil should not be taken orally during pregnancy, gastritis and peptic ulcer of the digestive tract.

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