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Pogostemon cablin (patchouli): distillation and compounds

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.

Family
Lamiaceae
ISO standard
ISO 3757:2002

Species

BinomialPogostemon cablin
Accepted namePogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.
WCVP statusaccepted
FamilyLamiaceae
IPNI identifierurn:lsid:ipni.org:names:454827-1
ISO standardISO 3757:2002
EU-regulated allergenAnnex III, entry 365: Pogostemon cablin oil

Source: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 of 26 July 2023 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, accessed on 22/09/2026.

Source: Govaerts R. (ed.), World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, accessed on 21/09/2026.

Source: ISO 3757:2002.

Source: Plants of the World Online (POWO), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, taxon page « Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. », archived copy of 18/02/2026 (Internet Archive), accessed on 29/10/2026.

Source: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products (recast), accessed on 22/09/2026.

Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth. is a name of rank “Species” with status “Accepted” in the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP, Kew), placed in the family Lamiaceae (identifier 162094), in the extract read on 27/10/2026.

According to the Plants of the World Online (POWO, Kew) entry for the taxon “Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.”, the native range of the species is “Sri Lanka, W. & Central Malesia, Papua New Guinea”. The same entry describes Pogostemon cablin as “a perennial or subshrub” that grows “primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome”.

What patchouli material did Smith et al. (2024) study?

According to Smith et al. (2024), the fresh patchouli leaves and twigs used in the study were “Aceh patchouli” (“Pogostemon cablin Benth”; WCVP accepted name: Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.), taken from patchouli oil farmers/refiners in the villages of Taeno and Keranjang (Ambon District, Maluku Province, Indonesia). The leaves and twigs were collected in June 2021 and stored at room temperature.

How was the oil distilled in Smith et al. (2024)?

The leaves and twigs, cut into smaller pieces, were dried in the sun for two days and then under shade for 5 (B1), 6 (B2) and 7 days (B3), and then distilled by the “steam and water distillation” method. The condenser cooling water discharge was set at 1.74 (A1), 1.08 (A2) and 0.48 litre/minute (A3), based on an earlier study by Smith et al. with modifications. The distillation apparatus was made of stainless steel, with a capacity of 8 kg. Cooling water was circulated in the condenser by a circulation pump. The equipment included a distillation kettle with a filling volume of 0.023 m3 of patchouli leaves, a water-cooled condenser with a cold fluid volume of 0.022 m3, and a separator. The study was conducted at the Ambon Industrial Standardization and Research Institute (Indonesia).

What did Smith et al. (2024) measure, and how?

The variables measured were oil yield, condensate flow rate, condenser water temperature and patchouli alcohol content; the content of compounds in patchouli oil was measured by GCMS. For the determination of patchouli alcohol, the sample volume was 2 μL, and patchouli alcohol concentration was calculated from a linear calibration function. The chemical composition of the oil was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) on a nonpolar column (methyl siloxane) with specifications “30 m × 25 μm × 0.25 μm”. The oven was held at 60°C for 1 min, raised to 220°C at 30°C/min and held for 4 min; the injector, transfer line and detector were at 250, 240 and 230°C. Ionization energy was 70 eV and the carrier gas (helium) flow rate 1 ml/min; the samples (1% v/v in hexane) were injected in split mode with a split ratio of 1/100. Identification of “Patchoulol” and the other volatile compounds was based on comparing the mass spectra obtained with those of the GCMS library and of the literature. The experiments followed a completely randomized factorial design with three replications; means were compared by one-way analysis of variance and Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) at a 5% significance level, and data are presented as the mean.

How did condensate flow rate and condenser water temperature vary in Smith et al. (2024)?

In Table 1 of Smith et al. (2024), with 5 days of drying (B1), the condensate flow rate was 34.67, 29.33 and 24.33 ml/min at condenser water discharges of 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3). With 6 days of drying (B2), it was 32.33, 26.00 and 20.66 ml/min at 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3). With 7 days of drying (B3), it was 29.47, 24.00 and 16.00 ml/min at 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3). In Table 2, with 5 days of drying (B1), the condenser water temperature was 30.56, 32.47 and 48.93 °C at condenser water discharges of 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3). With 6 days of drying (B2), it was 30.90, 32.30 and 49.40 °C at 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3). With 7 days of drying (B3), it was 31.02, 32.99 and 49.50 °C at 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3).

What oil yields did Smith et al. (2024) report?

In Table 3 of Smith et al. (2024), with 5 days of drying (B1) and a condenser water discharge of 1.74 L/min (A1), the oil yield was 1.40% (“Oil yield (%)”, basis not stated by the source). With 6 days of drying (B2), the oil yield was 1.30, 0.90 and 0.23% at condenser water discharges of 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3) (“Oil yield (%)”, basis not stated by the source). With 7 days of drying (B3), it was 1.23, 0.74 and 0.17% at 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3) (“Oil yield (%)”, basis not stated by the source). According to the authors, within the discharges tested (0.48 to 1.74 L/min), the greater the condenser water discharge during distillation, the greater the patchouli oil yield (Table 3).

What patchouli alcohol content did Smith et al. (2024) report?

In Table 4 of Smith et al. (2024), with 5 days of drying (B1), the patchouli alcohol content (“Patchouli alcohol content (%)”) was 16.84, 17.10 and 17.14 at condenser water discharges of 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3). With 6 days of drying (B2), it was 16.96, 17.11 and 17.19 at 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3) (“Patchouli alcohol content (%)”). With 7 days of drying (B3), it was 17.30, 17.17 and 17.22 at 1.74 L/min (A1), 1.08 L/min (A2) and 0.48 L/min (A3) (“Patchouli alcohol content (%)”). According to the authors, within the conditions tested (condenser cooling water discharge of 0.48 to 1.74 L/min, 5 to 7 days of shade drying), the test results showed no difference in the alcohol content of the patchouli oil produced by condenser cooling water discharge or by leaf drying time.

Which compounds did Smith et al. (2024) report in patchouli oil?

In their conclusions, Smith et al. (2024) state that GCMS analysis of the composition of patchouli oil detected 13 compounds, and that the three main components in all condenser cooling water treatments were “alpha-guaiene”, “delta-guaiene” and “patchouli alcohol”. In Table 5, under the header “Average (%)”, at condenser water discharges of 1.74, 1.08 and 0.48 L/min, “beta-Patchoulene” (C15H24) reads 5.45, 5.25 and 5.03, and “Seychellene” (C15H24) 2.58, 2.28 and 2.72. Under the same header and at the same discharges, “alpha-Guaiene” (C15H24) reads 17.15, 18.90 and 16.14. “alpha-Patchoulene” (C15H24) reads 9.06, 9.86 and 9.06, and “Patchoulene” (C15H24) 4.38, 3.92 and 4.25. “delta-Guaiene” (C15H24) reads 16.50, 17.58 and 16.45; “Viridiflorol” (C15H26O) 3.00, “—” and 1.48; “Cycloheptane, 4-methylene-1-methyl-2(2-methyl-1-propen-1-yl)-1-vinyl” (C15H24) “—”, “—” and 2.66.

Which patchouli oil did Ginting et al. (2023) analyse?

According to Ginting et al. (2023), the leaves of “P. cablin” (WCVP accepted name: Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.) were harvested at the age of “5 months – 2 years old”. The essential oils of P. cablin were obtained from community-based enterprises in Aceh Province (Indonesia); after harvesting, the samples were dried and then extracted through distillation by the local community to produce the essential oils.

How did Ginting et al. (2023) analyse the oil?

The GC-MS analysis of the essential oils lasted 50 min, on a capillary column 30 m long, with 0.2 mm inner diameter and 0.25 μm film thickness, and 2 μL of essential oil were injected. The temperature of the GC equipment “was calibrated” for 4 min at 60°C, then increased to 150°C for 4 min, then to 250°C; the helium carrier gas flow rate was 1.35 mL/min, and in MS ionization was by electron impact at 70 eV. The study aimed at a qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of the volatile components. The qualitative data come from the MS data of the components separated by GC, compared with the database, and the abundance of each component was determined from the area percentage of the chromatographic peak.

Which compounds did Ginting et al. (2023) report in the oil?

Ginting et al. (2023) write “P. cablin oil (PCO)” for the oil of P. cablin. The introduction of Ginting et al. (2023) writes “Patchouli alcohol (PA)”. According to Ginting et al. (2023), based on GC-MS analysis, “guaiene”, “seychellene”, “globulol” and “PA” are among the components found in the PCO oil. In Table 1, in relative area (%) in PCO: “β-Patchoulene” 2.8; “(-)-βete-Elemene” 0.67; “Cycloseychellene” 0.81; “Seychellene” 8.95. In relative area (%) in PCO: “α-Patchoulene” 7.32; “Patchoulene” 0.34; “Aciphyllene” 2.69; “3,7(11)-Eudesmadiene” 0.29; “Norpatchoulenol” 0.45. In relative area (%) in PCO: “cis-Z-α-Bisabolene epoxide” 0.29; “Isoaromadendrene epoxide” 0.8; “Globulol” 0.61; “Pogostol” 2.23; “Patchouli alcohol” 34.24. In relative area (%) in PCO: “Isoshyobunone” 0.34.

Which ISO standards are titled “Oil of patchouli”?

In the ISO catalogue, as of 09/11/2024, ISO 3757:2002 bears the title “Oil of patchouli (Pogostemon cablin (Blanco) Benth.)”. In the ISO catalogue, as of 09/11/2024, ISO 3757:2002 has the status “Published”, the publication date 2002-11, the stage “International Standard confirmed” (90.93) and edition 2. According to the ISO catalogue as of 19/03/2026 (ICS 71.100.60 listing), ISO 3757:1978 is marked “[Withdrawn]”, with the title “Oil of patchouli”, stage 95.99 and committee ISO/TC 54. An opinion of the EFSA FEEDAP Panel on patchouli oil cites, in its section 3.3.1, “the standard developed by the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) 3757:2002 for oil of patchouli”.

What does Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 write about “Pogostemon cablin oil”?

The title of Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 of 26 July 2023 describes it as “amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products”. In the annex to Regulation (EU) 2023/1545, the entry with reference number 365 bears the chemical name “Pogostemon cablin oil”, the Common Ingredients Glossary name “Pogostemon Cablin Oil”, the CAS numbers “8014-09-3/ 84238-39-1” and, in the EC number column, “-/” then “282-493-4”.

References

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