Pogostemon cablin Benth. var ‘Sidikalang’ leaves are the main source of patchouli oil which is used in the cosmetics and perfume industry because of its better fixative nature and provides the foreign exchange of around 60 % of Indonesia’s essential oil export revenues and is the largest patchouli oil supplier in the world with a contribution of 90 %. But apparently, several studies found that patchouli oil also has pharmacological activity such as aromatherapy, anti-influenza, antioxidants, and anti-microbial. This proves that leaves patchouli oil can be used as alternative medicine. Patchouli oil is composed of 20 main constituents, but the most important role as a determinant of the quality of patchouli oil is sesquiterpene patchouli alcohol (PA). The right extraction method is the most important factor so that the quality of patchouli oil is well maintained during the extraction process. Some methods that have been used for patchouli oil extraction include soxhlet, hydrodistillation, microwave-assisted hydrodistillation, microwave–air hydrodistillation, and water–bubble distillation. Microwave-assisted hydrodistillation and water–bubble distillation methods are more efficient methods for patchouli oil extraction. The microwave-assisted hydrodistillation method produces a yield of 1.9437 to 2.7227 % with a PA content of 26.32 % within 120 min to 126 min, and the water–bubble distillation method produces a yield of 2.40 % with a PA content of 61.53 % within 360 min.

Pogostemon cablin Benth. cv. Sidikalang (Acehnese patchouli) is one of the essential oil-producing plants which has therapeutic properties and fixative materials for perfume, so the demand for patchouli oil is relatively high. However, this advantage of patchouli is in contrast with the low quality of patchouli oil and its fluctuating prices in the international market. Therefore, patchouli's plant tissue culture technique is developed to obtain oil with a similar and a better quality one, which is characterized by the high level of patchouli alcohol in patchouli oil. This study aims to determine the effect of coconut water and BAP (6-Benzyl Amino Purine) of in vitro shoots multiplication of Pogostemon cablin Benth. 'Sidikalang' and to compare the in vitro essential oil profile to the native plant. Hence, in vitro shoots multiplication of patchouli in this study was done by using solid and liquid MS (Murashige-Skoog) medium with the treatment of 10% coconut water, 15% coconut water, 10% coconut water + 0.5 mg/L BAP, 15% coconut water + 0.5 mg/L BAP, and 0.5 mg/L BAP. Patchouli leaves hydrodistillation was done for six-weeks-old shoots derived from liquid MS medium with the giving of 0.5 mg/L BAP, which had the best growth index (24.94 ± 3.38). Morphologically, the growth of patchouli in the solid medium was not as good as in the liquid medium because more rosette shoots were found. The analysis results of UV-Vis spectrophotometry and gas chromatography showed that in vitro essential oil profile were the same as the native plant (ex vitro) and its commercial patchouli oil.

Nilam Aceh ‘Sidikalang’ (Acehnese Patchouli) merupakan salah satu anggota kelompok dari Lamiaceae, famili mint. Minyak aromatik yang biasa disebut juga dengan minyak patchouli dapat diproduksi dari daunnya, yang mana bernilai tinggi dalam industri parfum dan aromaterapi, karena wangi aromatik yang segar. Minyak patchouli juga memiliki variasi senyawa fitokimia yang memiliki efek terapeutik, seperti antimikroba, antidepresan, anti-inflamasi, dan antioksidan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menentukan protocol yang efisien dan reprodusibel untuk refenerasi tak langsung dari eksplan daun dan banyak tunas dari eksplan nodus. Organogenesis tak langsung telah dilakukan menggunakan medium MS (Murashige-Skoog) dengan beberapa perlakuan, seperti NAA 0,5 mg/L + BAP 0,1 mg/L, NAA 1 mg/L + BAP 0,1 mg/L, dan NAA 1,5 mg/L + BAP 0,1 mg/L, sedangkan tunas majemuk yang dihasilkan dari eksplan nodus dikulturkan pada media MS dengan berbagai variasi konsentrasi BAP, yakni 0,5 mg/L, 1,0 mg/L, dan 1,5 mg/L kemudian, untuk tahap perakaran dari tunas, tunas akan dikulturkan pada media ½ MS tanpa Zat Pengatur Tumbuh (ZPT) dan media MS dengan beberapa perlakuan, yakni tanpa Zat Pengatur Tumbuh (ZPT), IBA (Indole-3-Butyric Acid) 0,5 mg/L, dan NAA (Naphthalene Acetic Acid) 0,5 mg/L. Selanjutnya, planlet yang dihasilkan dari tahap perakaran secara in vitro akan diaklimatisasi pada kombinasi tanah : kompos (1:1). Sebagai tambahan, tunas in vitro juga akan ditanam secara langsung sebagai stek tunas mikro pada kombinasi tanah : kompos (1:1). Perlakuan optimal untuk organogenesis tak langsung menggunakan media MS dengan NAA 1 mg/L + BAP 0,1 mg/L. Dalam perbanyakan tunas majemuk dari eksplan nodus, media MS dengan BAP 0,5 mg/L merupakan media optimum. Tunas yang dikulturkan pada media ½ MS untuk tahap perakaran, tumbuh membentuk planlet dengan morfologi akar normal. Secara keseluruhan, planlet nilam lebih cepat  terbentuk melalui penanaman langsung stek tunas mikro pada kondisi ex vitro dibandingkan melalui tahap perakaran in vitro.