Whether you love it or whether you hate it – once you’ve had a whiff of patchouli, it’s not something that you’ll forget!
The strong, aromatic, spicy, musky, balsamic, and earthy fragrance that patchouli produces has been used to create perfumes and incense for many centuries. It is popular among both men and women.
But what else is there to know about this perennial and pungent herb, which is a flowering species of the mint family?
What are patchouli incense benefits?
In this article, I’ll go over the spiritual and practical benefits of patchouli incense sticks and cones.
Patchouli Incense Benefits
The patchouli plant is more commonly used in its essential oil form, which is made by putting the leaves of the patchouli plant through a distillation process to produce patchouli essential oil.
The oil is used to make patchouli incense sticks, which also contain natural resins and wood powders to bind it all together. However, it’s the patchouli oil itself that creates the powerful and pungent aroma that is loved by others (and despised by some), kind of like how people either love or hate cilantro.
The scent that patchouli incense gives off is immediately recognizable, because it has a heavy musk bottom note, with a spicy and sickly sweet top note.
Patchouli is considered a spiritual fragrance, because of the way it is able to bring about the calming of the mind. This is why many people choose to use patchouli in order to create a sacred space that allows for healing or meditation to take place.
The benefits that patchouli is said to offer someone include, cleansing away negative energy, relaxation, raising the libido as an aphrodisiac, reducing insomnia, and protection from evil spirits.
On a metaphysical level, it is said that certain zodiac signs have a connection to patchouli. So if you are Capricorn, Aquarius, Taurus, or Virgo, you may find yourself resonating with this pungent scent even deeper than most.
The benefits that patchouli is said to offer someone include, cleansing away negative energy, relaxation, raising the libido as an aphrodisiac, reducing insomnia, and protection from evil spirits.
Sure, patchouli is most commonly used for aromatherapy. But there is so much more to patchouli than its smell! For instance, it also contains many therapeutic attributes, which is why it is used in many skincare and perfume products to this day.
Patchouli Incense Uses: What Can Patchouli Do?
Patchouli is a warming herb, so the oil contains quite a few benefits that work on different systems of the body in very positive ways. Those benefits are:
Your Digestive System
Patchouli oil has a tonic effect on the digestive system, because it sedates the nerves, and can improve digestion, control vomiting, act as a diuretic, and can even stop binge-surprising the appetite.
This may explain why patchouli is sometimes used in breath fresheners.
Your Nervous System
Patchouli helps to ease feelings of anxiety, stress, sadness, and depression, because it reduces central nervous system activity by around 40% and soothes a stormy mind. This is why people who like the smell use it, because it helps you relax and feel calm, and can even work to help you get a good night’s sleep.
Your Immune System
Inhaling patchouli offers the body metabolic benefits, so it can help to prevent fever, and boost the immune system. It can help alleviate headaches and colds, acts as an anti-inflammatory, and can make you feel more energetic.
Your Skin
Patchouli oil works great for certain skin conditions because it acts as a cell rejuvenator. This means that it will help with wound healing, as well as contribute to the reduction of scar tissue. It is also antimicrobial, so it kills bacteria, and won’t strip your skin while doing so.
Rubbing the oil into chapped skin, or cases of dermatitis, eczema, acne, and even scalps with dandruff or oil imbalance can work to alleviate these conditions. Patchouli oil can also be used to calm down mosquito and snake bites.
Of course, all of these benefits have been recorded when using patchouli oil. However, because this is the main ingredient in patchouli incense, burning it will help you to receive some of these benefits too, especially when doing so with meditation and intention.
There are no side effects from using patchouli, other than the irritation you might feel if you’re one of those who dislike its aroma.
Your Love Life
Patchouli has long been used to improve sexual function and is used in tantric ritual. It is considered to improve sexual function in both men and women.
The Origins Of Patchouli
Patchouli is a flowering and evergreen perennial herb that is part of the mint family. It is native to India, Indonesia, and Malaysia, but is now grown throughout Asia, including Indonesia, the Philippines, as well as South America.
To this day, the leaves of the plant are picked by hand.
The plant was first used by the Tamil people of southern India, who gave it the name patchouli. The Tamils began using patchouli leaves as an insect repellant, and for medicinal purposes, making a tea that was used to reduce inflammation in the body, as well as adding them to several culinary dishes. It has a long history of use for medical issues and pest control.
During the 17th and 18th centuries when the East India Company was trading textiles from India, the locals would layer patchouli leaves between the silk and cotton cloths, and carpets, in order to keep moths from damaging them in transit. The patchouli scent then became fashionable to wear in Europe.
These days, patchouli is largely harvested to make oil for perfumeries, including Chanel, Byredo, and Bulgari. Patchouli oil is extracted by steaming the dried leaves of the plant.
The scent regained popularity among the hippie counterculture in the United States in the late 1960s, when it became trendy to use it for its libido-enhancing effects during the Summer of Love. It is still associated with the hippy culture, and its sweet-smelling aroma can calm an overactive mind (and cover up the scent of ganja!).
Click here to read this blog post on Nag Champa Benefits, which details another incense that became popular due to the 60’s hippie counterculture.
Patchouli Incense Options
If you love the scent of patchouli, and just can’t get enough of it, then why not give your clothing a patchouli boost, which can also help to stop moths from damaging them when they’re being stored.
- LOVELY FRAGRANCE. Keeps your cloths and...
- AROMATHERAPY. Calming and relaxing, they...
- MULTI USE. Can be used for drawers,...
- SUPERIOR QUALITY. Long lasting aroma,...
- GREAT VALUE. Lot of 12 sachets, each...
Last update on 2024-04-03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
No products found.Final Thoughts: What is Patchouli Incense Good For?
Whether you love it or hate it, the smell of patchouli is one that you will never forget. There’s an old joke that goes: Why did God invent patchouli? So blind people could hate hippies too.
But there are many patchouli incense benefits that you can enjoy! So if you are a patchouli lover, bask in the delightful scent and absorb the mind and body benefits of this wonderous incense.
