Indian sages like to tell stories about the aphrodisiac properties of patchouli oil even before there were written descriptions that verified its effectiveness. The sages weren’t concerned with the chemicals in the oil; they just knew it could increase sex drive especially when impotency was lurking in the shadows of life. The stories about patchouli oil in folk medicine are not limited to India tales; other countries have myths to share too.
The Japanese tell stories of cuts being healed after a samurai battle, and the ancient Chinese wrote about the oil’s ability to treat snake bites as well as poisonous insect stings. Some early myths labeled patchouli oil the PMS reliever although those myths didn’t use those three letters to describe that condition.
Patchouli plants grew wild in Malaysia centuries ago, but the natives found out that the leaves could be put steamed to produce oil that would make the body smell like a freshly cut flower. The women would coat the skin with the oil after a bath, and the men couldn’t resist their earthy and musky smell.
The first written reports about the benefits of using patchouli oil didn’t reach the Western World until the beginning of the 19th century. That’s when Indian merchants traveled to England to trade valuable goods. Those goods picked up the scent of patchouli oil since the merchants wrapped them in crushed patchouli leaves. The scent of patchouli became an earmark for valuable imported goods. Local merchants tried to duplicate that marketing scent in order to compete with the imports.
Patchouli oil became popular in the West, and all sorts of stories about the antiseptic and antidepressant properties started to circulate in Scotland as well as England. The Europeans claimed the oil could relieve anxiety and other stress related conditions. The oil immediately became a folklore hero since it seemed to bring good luck, prosperity, and abundance to anyone that used it.
The Spiritual Became Physical Using Patchouli Oil
When patchouli oil was inhaled the spiritual images seemed to take over and other realities dance through the mind or at least that’s what some myths say, especially the Hindu stories about the altered state of consciousness that was experienced when the oil was inhaled.
The interesting thing about all the folk medicine myths is the fact that most of them are true. Patchouli oil is an aphrodisiac as well as an antiseptic. It also has anti-inflammatory and anti-fungal properties, plus it does interact with hormone secretion to calm and relax the body as well as the mind. All the chemicals in patchouli oil interact with body cells and can help them regenerate. Wounds do heal faster and age lines and scars disappear when the oil is massaged into the skin.
Probably the best myths about patchouli are those old hippie tales. Those tales say the oil was a love potion as well as a body odor perfume and mind-bender. Some aging baby boomers still believe those myths and they should; it was an enjoyable reality for them.
