The plant grows as a bushy perennial herb, with erect stems reaching up to 75 centimetres (30 in) in height and bearing small, pale, pink-white flowers.

It is native to the island region of Southeast Asia, including Sri Lanka, Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula, New Guinea, and the Philippines.

[1] Noted for its fragrant essential oil, it has many commercial uses and is now extensively cultivated in tropical climates around the world, especially in Asia, Madagascar, South America, and the Caribbean.

[8] The heavy, strong, woody, and earthy scent of patchouli has been used for centuries in perfumes, and more recently in incense, insect repellents, chewing tobacco, and many alternative medicines.

Both patchouli oil and incense underwent a surge in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s in the US and Europe, mainly as a result of the hippie movement of those decades.

There are also several herbal medicines, both in Indonesia and in China (TCM), that include dry, ground patchouli leaves as one of the key ingredients.