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Aqua Oleum Patchouli Essential Oil 10ml
One of the popular oils of commerce. Patchouli Oil is somewhat unique in that
it continues to mature on storage, and is renowned for getting better with age.
Indonesia produces the most sought after quality, while China is now also
regarded as a large volume producer. Even though the quality is somewhat crude
and slightly pungent, their domestic market is consuming most of their own
production. In recent years Singapore material has found its way into Europe and
been sold on as Indonesian.
Adulteration is quite common with this oil, usually with Gurjon Balsam or
caryophyllene. We usually insist on a minimum Patchouli alcohol content of 33%
and this can occasionally occur at levels of 40%. The following table lists the
typical constituents of a recently imported shipment of Aqua Oleum oil:
Patchouli Oil
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|
Principal constituents by % |
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|
beta-elemene |
5.8
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|
alpha-copaene |
1.9
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|
beta-caryophyllene |
1.8
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|
beta-patchoulene |
2.1
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|
alpha-patchoulene |
15.7
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patchouli alcohol |
36.1
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alpha-bulnesene |
8.3
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At present, the supply of Patchouli Oil exceeds demand many times over.
Indonesia produces 500 tonne, China 60 tonne, Malaysia 2 tonne and Singapore 1.5
tonne. The Patchouli plant is well known as a major contributor to soil
exhaustion and yields can range from 3% to as low as 1%. Therefore crop rotation
should usually take place every three years. The best quality is harvested in
the wet season when the plants are at least six months old; there are usually
two crops per years. Harvesting is done manually and is very labour intensive.
The collected leaves are usually allowed to dry for three days before
distillation, preferably in the shade to allow minimum loss of essence.
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