Where and when patchouli was discovered?
Patchouli has been used for centuries in perfumes and incense and still is today. The word derives from the Tamil word, patchai. During the 18th and 19th century, silk traders from China travelling to the Middle East packed their silk cloth with dried patchouli leaves to prevent moths from laying their eggs on it. Europeans thus came to equate the scent of patchouli with luxury.
