Distribution and habitat: Native of Philippines and grows wild in Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Singapore and India.

Botany:  The plant is herbaceous, erect, branched, pubescent, 0.5-1.0 m high and aromatic when crushed. 

• Leaves:   Ovate to oblong, up to 10x10 cm, serrate with dotted  glands beneath;  petiole up to 8 cm long.
• Stem:  Swollen on the nodes; spikes terminal or axillary, sometimes interrupted 2.5-14 cm long;
•  Flowers : Small, irregular, bisexual, hypogynous; calyx 5-6.5 mm; corolla lobes obtuse, 6-9 mm, white to purple, blotched on all segments. Filaments are violet and bracts as long as calyx.

Chemical constituent: Sesquiterpenes constitute 40-50% of the oil of patchouli. A crystalline fraction of non-sesquiterpenes alcohol called nor- patchoulenol has been isolated and found to be the true odour carrier of the oil of patchouli.                                

Uses: Antirheumatic, antibacterial and insect repellent activity . Used against nausea, diarrhea, cold and head-ache

Agrotechnology

Soil and climate: Well drained deep loamy soil, rich in humus and nutrients, with a loose friable structure and with no impervious hard layer at the bottom is ideal. 

Propagation: By 15-20 cm long stem cutting having 4-5 nodes.

Manuring: A basal dose of 25 kg N, 50 kg P2O5 and 50 kg K2O/ha is given in the form of urea, super phosphate and muriate of potash. After two months for each harvest 50 kg N is applied in two split doses. In total, 125 kg N per hectare per year is applied to the crop. 

Harvesting: First harvest is taken about 5 months after transplanting when the foliage become pale green to light brownish and plant emits characteristic patchouli odour which could be easily smelt particularly in morning hours. The first two or three harvests give good yield and high quality oil. 

Processing: Shade dried leaves of patchouli after removing leaf petiole is subjected to steam distillation to obtain oil of patchouli. Matured leaves contain 5.7% and new leaves 4.1-5.0% oil content on oven dry weight basis. Oil contains 40-50% terpenes. Patchouli contains 30% patchouli alcohol.