A Review on Pogostemon patchouli

Pogostemon patchouli, an aromatic plant, commonly known as "Patchouli" is a member of mint family, Lamiaceae used worldwide for its essential oil. It has got commercial importance and in Ayurvedic system of medicine this plant is commonly used in digestive conditions, nervous and skin disorders. Phytochemical studies have shown presence of many valuable compounds such as sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, tannins, phenolic acids which are responsible for wide spectrum of pharmacological activities including, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic, antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, febrifuge, platelet activation inhibitory, antidepressant, anti-influenza, sedative, tonic, cytotoxic and insect repellant properties. Thus present review explores the ethanomedicinal, pharmacological or traditional knowledge along with morphological phytochemical and toxicological reports of Pogostemon patchouli and aims at gathering the research work undertaken till date on this plant in order to provide sufficient baseline information for future works and commercial exploitation.