Description

Pure Jatamansi Oil — Steam Distilled | High Jatamansone & Valeranone | Nardostachys jatamansi DC. | Ayurvedic, Hair Care, Aromatherapy & Pharmaceutical Grade | Retail from 1kg | Bulk Drums Available

Pure Steam Distilled Jatamansi Oil | Nardostachys jatamansi DC. | Spikenard | High Jatamansone | High Valeranone | High Nardol | Classical Ayurvedic Keshya | Sedative | Anti-Anxiety | Anti-Inflammatory | Hair Growth | Sacred Aromatic | Perfumery Base Note | Retail from 1kg | Bulk from 5kg to 200kg Drum | Manufacturer-Direct Pricing | Pan-India Delivery | Export Supply | Est. 2010 Meerut India

WHAT IS JATAMANSI OIL

Jatamansi Oil — known in Sanskrit as Jatamansi (literally "matted hair of the musk deer" or "the one with the matted locks" — the name referring to the characteristic appearance of the dried rhizome and roots of the Nardostachys plant which are covered with reddish-brown fibrous root hairs that resemble the matted hair or jata of a Hindu ascetic), commercially and internationally known as Spikenard Oil (from the classical Greek and Latin "Nardus" — which gives the botanical genus name — and the Old English "spica" meaning spike or ear of grain — referring to the spike-like inflorescence of the plant), also traded as Nard Oil, Nardus Oil, Musk Root Oil, and Jatamansi Taila in classical Ayurvedic preparation nomenclature — formally designated Nardostachys jatamansi Root Oil or Nardostachys jatamansi Rhizome Oil in INCI cosmetic nomenclature — is one of the most ancient, most sacred, most therapeutically revered, most extensively documented in classical Ayurvedic literature, most uniquely positioned in modern neuropharmacological research for its sedative and neuroprotective properties, and most deeply embedded in the spiritual and religious traditions of multiple civilisations of any aromatic botanical oil in the entire global essential oil market — steam distilled from the dried rhizomes (underground stems) and roots of Nardostachys jatamansi DC. (also known as Nardostachys grandiflora DC. in older botanical literature) — a small, intensely aromatic, slow-growing, perennial herbaceous plant with a spike-like pink flowering head belonging to the Caprifoliaceae (Honeysuckle) family in modern classification (previously placed in the Valerianaceae — Valerian family — which explains its close chemical similarity to Valerian root and oil) — native exclusively to the high-altitude alpine meadows, rocky slopes, and open grasslands of the Himalayan mountain range — growing naturally across a very specific and very demanding altitude band of 3,000 to 5,000 metres above sea level in the Indian states of Uttarakhand (primary — Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary — Valley of Flowers — Gangotri region — Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve), Himachal Pradesh (Lahaul and Spiti — Kinnaur — Kullu — Chamba), Jammu and Kashmir (Kashmir Valley — Leh — Kargil), Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and extending into Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet (China), and the Hindu Kush ranges of Afghanistan and Pakistan — a natural distribution that is simultaneously an extraordinary indicator of the plant's evolutionary specialisation to extreme Himalayan conditions (frost — thin soil — intense UV radiation — short growing season) and a commercial challenge that has driven the plant to threatened status in many parts of its range due to overharvesting combined with the extremely slow growth rate (4 to 7 years to maturity from seed) and restricted natural habitat that make sustainable wild harvest very difficult to maintain. Nardostachys jatamansi is listed under CITES Appendix II (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) — requiring that international trade in wild-harvested plant material is regulated and that export permits are issued by the country of origin to ensure the harvest is sustainable — making Jatamansi Oil one of the most important commercially traded essential oils requiring CITES-compliant sourcing documentation, with Liana Health Care committed to supplying only ethically and legally sourced Jatamansi Oil from certified sustainable cultivated sources where possible and CITES-compliant wild harvest where cultivation is not yet available.

The history of Jatamansi — Spikenard — in human civilisation is one of the most extraordinary, most extensively documented, and most cross-culturally universal of any aromatic botanical — spanning at minimum 3,000 years of recorded sacred, therapeutic, and luxury cosmetic use across the major civilisations of South Asia, the Middle East, Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Judeo-Christian tradition. In classical Ayurveda — Jatamansi is one of the most extensively documented and most therapeutically important aromatics in the entire 5,000-year Ayurvedic pharmacopoeia — mentioned prominently in the Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridayam as a primary Medhya Rasayana (brain tonic and cognitive enhancer), Keshya (hair growth promoter and hair colour preserver — the single most important Ayurvedic herb for hair health), Nidrajanana (sleep inducer), Manasika Dosha shamaka (psychological condition manager), and Vishahara (anti-toxin) — making Jatamansi simultaneously the most important Ayurvedic herb for neurological and psychological health, the most important Ayurvedic herb for hair care, and one of the most important sacred and ceremonial aromatics in the entire Vedic tradition. In the ancient Near East — Spikenard (Nard) was one of the most precious and most expensive luxury trade commodities in the ancient world — reaching the ancient Egyptians through the famous Incense Trade Route from India via Arabia — used by the pharaohs as a luxury personal fragrance, in temple ritual, and in embalming preparations. The most famous single reference to Spikenard in Western cultural consciousness is the New Testament Gospel of John (12:3) — where Mary of Bethany anoints Jesus's feet with a pound of pure Nard (Spikenard) — with the apostle Judas Iscariot objecting that the oil was worth 300 denarii (approximately a year's wages for a labourer) — indicating the extraordinary luxury value of Spikenard as a trade commodity in the ancient Mediterranean world. The Song of Solomon (1:12 and 4:13-14) also references Spikenard as a perfume of the beloved — establishing its association with romance, anointing, and sacred love in the Hebrew biblical tradition. The ancient Greek physician Dioscorides described Spikenard extensively in De Materia Medica (65 CE) as a warming, drying medicinal aromatic used for digestive complaints, skin conditions, and fever — and the Roman historian Pliny the Elder documented its extraordinary trade value in Naturalis Historia (77 CE) — indicating that Spikenard was one of the most commercially important long-distance trade goods connecting India to the Roman Mediterranean world through the ancient Silk Road and spice trade networks.

Chemically, Jatamansi Oil is defined by an extraordinarily complex and uniquely distinctive sesquiterpene-dominated profile — with over 70 identified compounds — but commercially and therapeutically characterised by several signature compounds found in few or no other commercially important essential oils. The most important compounds include jatamansone (valeranone — 10% to 20%) — the most pharmacologically important and most unique compound in the oil — a sesquiterpene ketone named after the plant itself — documented in multiple pharmacological studies to have significant CNS sedative, anti-anxiety, anti-epileptic, and neuroprotective properties through GABA-A receptor modulation — making it the chemical basis for the most extraordinary and most clinically relevant neurological claims of Jatamansi Oil, valeranone (5% to 15%) — a related sesquiterpene ketone with similar sedative properties and the primary compound responsible for the musky, earthy, and slightly animalic depth of the oil's aroma profile, nardol (5% to 15%) — a sesquiterpene alcohol providing the characteristic sweet-woody-balsamic base of the aroma, elemol (3% to 10%) — anti-inflammatory sesquiterpene alcohol also found in Amyris and Frankincense, beta-gurjunene (3% to 10%) — sesquiterpene hydrocarbon contributing to the earthy depth, calarene (3% to 8%) — characteristic sesquiterpene of Calamus-adjacent aromatics, patchouli alcohol (trace to 3%) — the most characteristic compound of Patchouli — present at trace levels in Jatamansi contributing to the earthy-musky depth, aristolene (2% to 8%), seychellene (2% to 8%) — together creating an extraordinarily complex, profoundly earthy-musky-woody-balsamic aroma character that is simultaneously ancient, sacred, deeply grounding, and uniquely appealing to the most sophisticated and most knowledgeable perfumers, aromatherapists, and Ayurvedic practitioners who work with it. Liana Health Care Pvt. Ltd. supplies pure steam distilled Jatamansi Oil — from CITES-compliant sustainable Himalayan sources — in Ayurvedic, hair care, aromatherapy, pharmaceutical, and perfumery grades — from retail 1kg packs to bulk 200kg drums — from its GMP certified, AYUSH approved facility in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, with pan-India delivery and international export since 2010.

Aroma Profile

Top Note - Very soft, gently earthy-woody opening,  immediate depth, unique character
Middle Note - Rich, complex, warm earthy-musky-woody, sweet 
Base Note - Softly balsamic, profound depth, most grounding base

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