6 Dangers of Patchouli Oil

Distilled form of the leaves of the plant Pogostemon Cablin, the patchouli essential oil is a sweet smelling cure to a number of problems. Mostly found in tropical areas, there are different parts of the plant like young leaves, dried leaves and shoots that can be used to create this essential Patchouli oil. Quite popular in medicinal aromatherapy, the patchouli essential oil is particularly used for colds, tumors, headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Owing to its sweet smell, Patchouli Oil is used in perfumes and the cosmetic industry and this oil is a good flavoring agent too.

There are a number of uses and benefits of Patchouli Oil, but its application entails certain dangers too. Though it’s not the particular nature of the plant to be caustic or irritating, yet there can be few probable hazards of Patchouli Oil.

Some of the common dangers of using the patchouli oil include:

The patchouli oil is derived from the plant named Pogostemon Cablin which is primarily grown in Caribbean and other tropical regions where the agricultural practices are not as stringent. Therefore, there’s a probability of pesticide residue being present in the non-organic Patchouli oils. Such chemical residues can cause reactions when applied on the skin and therefore only the organic patchouli oils should be trusted enough as a cure.

Since the patchouli oil is sweet smelling in nature, it has a widespread use in flavoring and perfumery industry. But the same feature of the patchouli oil can make it dangerous in case of unaware children. The sweet smell of the oil can mislead children into believing this Patchouli Oil to be juice and can lead to a hazardous ingestion of this oil and is one of the more serious dangers of Patchouli Oil. As a precaution to this problem, the oil burners should be thoroughly cleaned after burning the patchouli essential oil and the containers of the same oil should be kept beyond the reach of kids.

Known for its unusually long lasting aroma, the patchouli essential oil can seem a little too much when used in closed space shared with others. The persistent aroma of Patchouli Oil is hard to get rid of and therefore it should be used precariously.

Like the reaction to quite a number of essential oils, the application of Patchouli Oil on the skin of people allergic to the plant can cause severe skin allergies. Caution should be taken when Patchouli Oil is applied over the skin and before application of the oil it should be patch tested over a small surface of the skin and away from face and neck to avoid the danger of any allergic reaction from Patchouli Oil.

Like most essential oils, Patchouli Oil is also not suitable for use by pregnant women and young children because of its tendency to cause reactions like irritation and other allergic reactions.

Many essential oils are known to contain petroleum based additives that can give off harmful fumes when heated in an oil burner. In case of the patchouli essential oil, it too may contain petroleum additives which might lead to the emission of hazardous fumes when burnt in an oil burner. Therefore, while using Patchouli Oil for fragrance and aromatherapy, make sure it does not contain such petroleum based additives to avoid its potential dangers.