Meet the Real Patchouli
I admit it, I really, really like the smell of patchouli.
Not the incense stick, hazy, smoky smell associated with paisley prints and tie-dye but rather the authentic patchouli plant.
Yes, for those of you who didn’t know, the 1960’s time period did not invent patchouli. It is actually a plant. That grows in nature.Shocking, I know.
Patchouli is a tropical plant that grows naturally in China, Indonesia, Cambodia, India and South America among other places. In the warmer, more tropical zones of the US you can even plant and grow this lovely plant in your own backyard.
It is a member of the mint family.
The plant averages 2-3 feet in height and it’s flowers bloom in fall. Cuttings can be easily taken and used to sprout or you can use the flower seeds to start new plants.
The plant’s flowers actually look similar to lavender and salvia with long purple covered spikes.
For centuries, patchouli has been used medicinally and in daily life for a multitude of purposes:
Digestion relief
Insect repellent