A Few Experiments on Patchouly of Tropical Plant (Perfumery-cummedical plant)

Abstract

This study was carried out for the purpose of knowing the possibility of cultivating patchouly plant in Japan concerning temperature. The variety used was recognized as Pogostemon heyneanus Bentham, because the shape of its leaf resembled that of P. heyneanus B.. The latter is so-called Jawa Patchouly indigenous to India and grows wild in sumatra and Jawa between 1, 000 and 2, 000m altitude.
In the south-west regions of Japan the temperature is about 30°C in summer and above 5°C in winter. The results of this experiment showed the possibility of cultivating patchouly plant (P. heyneanus B.) in above mentioned regions of Japan. The temperature seemed to have marked influences upon the quality of oil. It may be not so advantageous and economical to cultivate in the regions during spring and autumn season whereas the temperature is comparatively low. At present the constituents of perfume in patchouly is still unknown. Accordingly it is very difficult to detcrmine the relation between the perfumery quality of oil and the method of cultivation of patchouly plant.
The amount of oils ditillcd from air dried patchouly leaves was more than that from fresh leaves.
The amount of oils ditilled from the leaves which were cut into small pieces also was more than that from untreated leaves.
So far as patchouly alcohol was concerned, its amount was abundant at low temperature.
The functoin of patchouly alcohol in patchouly oil has not been made clear yet.