ESSENTIAL OILS 219 



The oil consists to a large extent of methyl homoanisic acid, 

 melting at 85", being obtained by oxidizing the fraction boiling 

 from 85" to 95" at 9 millimeters pressure. Bacon also states 

 that 65 small plants gave 2.5 kilos of fresh leaves, which when 

 steamed-distilled gave 32 grams of oil. 



Ocimiun sanctum is an erect, herbaceous or half -woody, coarse 

 plant, 1 meter or less in height. The stems and younger parts 

 of the plant are covered with spreading hairs. The leaves are 

 opposite, pointed at the tip, somewhat rounded or pointed at 

 the base, 2 to 4 centimeters long, and with toothed margins. 

 The flowers are about 7 millimeters long and pink. 



This species is cultivated for its fragrant leaves and is occa- 

 sionally spontaneous in waste places. It is found throughout 

 the Philippines, but is certainly not a native of the Archipelago. 



Genus POGOSTEMON 



POGOSTEMON CABLIN Benth. (Fig. 72). PATCHOULI or Kablin. 



Local names: Kabiling (Pampanga) ; kablin (Ilocos Sur, Abra, Bontok, 

 Tagalog provinces) ; kabling (Ilocos Sur, Bulacan, Laguna, Mindoro) ; 

 kadlin (Batangas) ; kadling (Rizal) ; kadlom or kadhhn (Tagalog prov- 

 inces, Camarines, Albay, Sorsogon, Leyte) ; sdrok (Igorot). 



PATCHOULI OIL 



The species Pogostemon cablin is highly valued for the per- 

 fume oil, patchouli, obtained from its leaves. The dried leaves, 

 which are very fragrant, are sometimes used for scenting ward- 

 robes. It is said that they prevent the clothes from being at- 

 tacked by moths. Patchouli is a common perfume in India and 

 China, and goods, such as shawls, exported from these countries 

 owe their peculiar odor to the patchouli plant. 



The dried leaves of Pogostemon cablin, when distilled, yield 

 about 3.5 per cent of patchouli oil, which is used in making per- 

 fumes and scented soaps. Formerly patchouli oil was considered 

 a very high-grade perfume base, but it is now more frequently 

 used in lower grades. The pure oil has a strong musky odor 

 and is mixed with other essential oils in making perfumes. 



According to Mann,* the ethereal oil is present in small quan- 

 tities in the fresh leaves, and only develops through a kind of 

 fermentation of the cut leaves packed into bundles. This ex- 

 plains why the yield from the dried leaves is about 3.5 to 4 

 per cent, while from fresh leaves it is much less. Mann says 

 that the pronounced patchouli scent is only popular in a very 

 few cases, like the export business to tropical countries. How- 

 ever, the oil serves many purposes in perfumery, giving a fine 



* Mann, H., The American Perfumer, Volume 8 (1913-1914), page 144. 



