Pogostemon, Patchouli, Iofano, Puchapat (Pogostemon cablin) Blanco Benth. is a medicinal plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family.
It has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of stress, depression, appetite control and improvement of sexual desire.
In China, there are (1) three cultivars:
- Shipai
- Gaoyao
- Hainan
and two chemotypes:
- pogostone
- patchoulol
The oil of pogostemon is also used in chemical, cosmetics and perfumery.
It is composed of about 140 components that exert biological activity antibacterial, antifungal and insecticidal.
The main components are tricyclic sesquiterpenes, including patchoulol widely used in perfumes and cosmetics.
The main components are tricyclic sesquiterpenes, including patchoulol widely used in perfumes, cosmetics and as a component of paclitaxel (Taxol) a cancer chemotherapy (2).
