Pogostemon cablin Benth. (patchouli) is an important herb which possesses many therapeutic properties and is widely used in the fragrance industries. In traditional medicinal practices, it is used to treat colds, headaches, fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, insect and snake bites. In aromatherapy, patchouli oil is used to relieve depression, stress, calm nerves, control appetite and to improve sexual interest. Till now more than 140 compounds, including terpenoids, phytosterols, flavonoids, organic acids, lignins, alkaloids, glycosides, alcohols, aldehydes have been isolated and identified from patchouli. The main phytochemical compounds are patchouli alcohol, α-patchoulene, β-patchoulene, α-bulnesene, seychellene, norpatchoulenol, pogostone, eugenol and pogostol. Modern studies have revealed several biological activities such as antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, antithrombotic, aphrodisiac, antidepressant, antimutagenic, antiemetic, fibrinolytic and cytotoxic activities. However, some of the traditional uses need to be verified and may require standardizing and authenticating the bioactivity of purified compounds through scientific methods. The aim of the present review is to provide comprehensive knowledge on the phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of essential oil and different plant extracts of patchouli based on the available scientific literature. This information will provide a potential guide in exploring the use of main active compounds of patchouli in various medical fields.

A Comprehensive Review on the Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Pogostemon cablin Benth.: An Aromatic Medicinal Plant of Industrial Importance

Patchouli essential oil is an important raw material for the perfume and cosmetics industries, besides being used as a natural additive for food flavoring. Patchoulol and α-patchoulene are important compounds of patchouli essential oil, and their concentrations are directly proportional to the quality of the oil. Nowadays, the usual method employed to obtain patchouli essential oil is steam distillation; however, this causes thermal degradation of some oil compounds. In this study patchouli essential oil was extracted with supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) under different conditions of pressure (8.5 and 14 MPa) and temperature (40 and 50 °C) and also by steam distillation to compare the extraction methods. It was demonstrated that the extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide provided a higher yield and a better quality of patchouli essential oil.

Comparison of extraction of patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) essential oil with supercritical CO2 and by steam distillation

Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth.): Botany, agrotechnology and biotechnological aspects

Recently, non-edible vegetable oils have been considered as prospective feedstocks for biodiesel production. This is mainly attributed to their ability to overcome the problems of food versus fuel crisis related to edible oils. Globally, there are more than 350 oil-bearing crops identified as potential sources for biodiesel production. The evaluation of the physical and chemical properties of non-edible feedstocks is very important to assess their viability for future biodiesel production. Therefore, this paper aims to study the properties of some potential non-edible feedstocks. Moreover, the paper studies the physical and chemical properties of these promising crops and compares them with other edible oils. These oils include: crude Calophyllum inophyllum L. (CCIO), Jatropha curcas L. (CJCO), Sterculia foetida L. (CSFO), Croton megalocarpus L. (CCMO), Moringa oleifera L. (CMOO), patchouli (CPO), coconut (CCO), palm (CPaO), canola (CCaO), soybean (CSO) and Pangim edule (CPEO) oils. 14 Different properties have been determined and presented in this study.

Investigation of physical and chemical properties of potential edible and non-edible feedstocks for biodiesel production, a comparative analysis

Agastache is a small genus of Lamiaceae, comprising 22 species of perennial aromatic medicinal herbs. In this article, we review recent advances in phytochemical, pharmacological, biotechnological and molecular research on Agastache. The phytochemical profile of all Agastache species studied to date is generally similar, consisted of two main metabolic classes—phenylpropanoids and terpenoids. In the relatively variable essential oils, most populations of different Agastache species contain over 50 % of a phenylallyl compound—estragole. Also, other volatile compounds (methyleugenol, pulegone, menthone, isomenthone and spathulenol) were reported in various proportions. Major non-volatile metabolites belong to phenolic compounds, such as caffeic acid derivatives, especially rosmarinic acid as well as several flavones and flavone glycosides like acacetin, tilianin, agastachoside, and a rare dimeric malonyl flavone (agastachin). Two unique lignans—agastenol and agastinol—were also isolated. Terpenoids include triterpenoids of oleanane-type (maslinic acid, oleanolic acid and β-amyrin), ursane-type (ursolic acid, corosolic acid and α-amyrin), and typical plant sterols, as well as abietane-type oxidized diterpenes (e.g., agastaquinone, agastol, and others). The bioactivity of various extracts or individual compounds in vitro and in vivo include antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-mutagenic activity, cytotoxic activity to cancer cell lines, and anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherogenic, antioxidant as well as biocidal activity to several foodstuff pests. Biotechnological and molecular studies have focused on in vitro propagation and enhancing the biosynthesis of bioactive metabolites in cell or organ cultures, as well as on the expression of genes involved in phenolic biosynthesis.

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J.J. Liu

Papers

GC-MS fingerprint of Pogostemon cablin in China.