The Budding Buddhist

  • Meditation Aids
    • Incense
    • Patchouli
  • Incense Burners
  • Questions & Answers
    • Buddhism
    • Zen
    • Meditation
You are here: Home / Meditation / Incense / Patchouli Leaves Incense and Its Benefits

Last Updated: May 14, 2022 by Robert Alvarado

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Patchouli Leaves Incense and Its Benefits

Patchouli Leaves Incense

The patchouli plant is a member of the mint family. It’s smell is pungent, earthy, and even a little musky and some say it smells like weed. However, patchouli incense has been used for centuries as a traditional incense in many cultures.

In this blog post, I will discuss and elaborate on patchouli leaves incense, what it is, and how it is used.

Patchouli Leaves Incense

Incense has been burned for thousands of years in rituals and ceremonies, or to cleanse the house from spirits and often to mask other less pleasant odors. 

Patchouli incense is burned to purify the air, eliminate evil spirits, or to purify a person before undertaking a challenging task. It can be burned as a single plant, or in a combination with other plants.

Patchouli incense is made from the dried and ground leaves of the plant, and can be made into incense sticks or as a powder which can be burned on a charcoal tablet in an incense burner. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJ4BVSRBsDE
Video: ACHS.edu Harvested Patchouli

It can also be made into cones, dried herbs and coils. In coil form it is mostly used as a mosquito repellent.

In case you want to take a look, here are some of the most popular patchouli incense products on Amazon:

Patchouli Dried Herb (Dried Patchouli Leaves)

Best Overall:

PictureProduct Link [*Amazon]
Bulk Herbs: Patchouli Leaf (Organic)

Other Options:

PictureProduct Link [*Amazon]
Herbs: Patchouli Dried Herb
New Packaging Patchouli Huo Xiang

Patchouli Incense Sticks

Best Overall:

PictureProduct Link [*Amazon]
Raajsee Patchouli Incense Sticks

Most-Reviewed Product:

PictureProduct Link [*Amazon]
Bless-Patchouli-Incense-Sticks

Other Options:

PictureProduct Link [*Amazon]
Natural Choice Incense Patchouli Incense Sticks

Patchouli Incense Cones

PictureProduct Link [*Amazon]
Patchouli Incense Cones And Cone Incense Burner Bundle
Patchouli Backflow Incense Cones

Blending with Other Incense

Patchouli can be used on its own to burn as incense, or it can be combined with other aromatic herbs and woods. 

Patchouli has a musky and deep scent that is strong and exotic. Other herbs that blend well with patchouli are lavender, sage, sandalwood and frankincense. 

Powdered Orris root is often used in blends to preserve the fragrance, and benzoin is also important. Benzoin is a resin that binds the other ingredients together and adds its own uplifting fragrance.

Patchouli Incense Fragrance

Patchouli incense has a rich, earthy, musky fragrance. The scent of patchouli has become associated with the hippie movement of the 1960’s when it was very popular with the flower power generation, mainly due to its exotic eastern fragrance linked to meditation practices and to oriental mysticism.

Patchouli Leaves Incense Benefits

The oil distilled from patchouli leaves is generally the most common form of the plant. Used in aromatherapy and also applied directly to the skin, the oil has many health benefits for skin care and also to keep hair healthy and free from dandruff.

Incense made from patchouli leaves has a unique soothing fragrance, perfect for every home, and its calming effect is useful to help focus during meditation and yoga, and in home ceremonies.

An Aid for Sleep

Burning patchouli leaf incense can be an aid for restful sleep. The incense releases compounds from the patchouli leaves which can act as sedatives to help you relax and get a good night’s sleep, allowing you to wake refreshed. 

The patchouli leaf incense will boost your mood and chase away negative energy that causes anxiety and stress.

Bringing Good Luck

The traditional fragrance of patchouli leaf incense has always been believed to bring good luck and prosperity to a home. 

In Asian culture the scent of the patchouli leaf represents the Earth element which it is claimed will keep you grounded so your spiritual nature can fully develop. It promotes peace of mind which is necessary when planning to change and improve your life.

It is supposed to attract wealth by stimulating the senses, maintaining a positive energy flow. The concept is that this allows better focus in business and balances the energies in your working space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpGbZ3GJfvg&t=13s
Video: Patchouli – A Life Giving Herb

Stimulating Romance

Patchouli leaf incense has also been used for many hundreds of years as an aphrodisiac. The scent is claimed to promote passion and intimacy and has been shown to improve sexual function in both men and women.

So the aroma of burning patchouli leaf incense can add a little spice to your life, by creating a romantic atmosphere for you and your partner.

Household Pet Safety

The smoke from burning patchouli incense has been found to be completely safe and non-toxic for household pets like cats and dogs, or small caged animals like hamsters and caged birds although it is important that when the incense is burning there is plenty of ventilation and fresh air.

Sometimes smoke from burning incense can be an irritant and although this is not usual with patchouli, care should be taken to watch out for signs like sneezing or rubbing eyes.

Parting Words 

There are many types of incense fragrance, and many different reasons to be burning incense. The best incense to choose for your situation depends on the reason you’re using it. 

For instance, if you want to use incense as an aid to sleep, to bring good luck, or to promote romance, patchouli incense is the best choice. 

Incense is a great way to relax after a long day at work and patchouli leaves incense is a particular favorite for relaxation and meditation. The fragrance is strong enough to be noticed but not overpowering. 

Patchouli incense is made in a process similar to that of the traditional incense sticks or cones. After being dried and crushed, the leaves become part of the incense blend. The result is a very pleasant aroma that is soothing and calming. 

So, burning patchouli incense before going to bed can help you sleep better.

Also, if you’re trying to break a bad habit or get rid of negative energy, patchouli incense can help.

You would be doing me a great favor if you shared the post:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Author Bio


Hi, I'm Robert Alvarado, blogger and content strategist at the Budding Buddhist. Born in Spain, migrated to the United States in 2005, earned an MBA, worked and lived in South East Asia (Myanmar, Thailand), and now living quietly in Cebu City, Philippines as a ‘digital nomad’.
I trained in mindfulness-based stress reduction while living in Madrid. Training was under the supervision of a qualified Mindfulness teacher at Mindfulness Spain.Read More…

  • Home
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Contact

N.B.: “Budding Buddhist” is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.


© 2022 The Budding Buddhist. All Rights Reserved.