Nardostachys

Nardostachys is a genus of flowering plant in the honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae). Nardostachys jatamansi is the sole species in genus.

It is a perennial that grows in the Himalayas, primarily in a belt through Kumaon, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan at elevations of 3000-5000 m, and in northern Myanmar and western and central China.

It is a source of a type of intensely aromatic amber-colored essential oil, spikenard. The oil has, since ancient times, been used as a perfume, as a traditional medicine, and in religious ceremonies. It is also called spikenard, nard, nardin, or muskroot. It is considered endangered due to overharvesting for folk medicine, overgrazing, loss of habitats, and forest degradation.

Description
The plant grows 10–50 cm in height and has pink, bell-shaped flowers. Rhizomes (underground stems) can be crushed and distilled into an intensely aromatic amber-colored essential oil, which is very thick in consistency. Nard oil is used as a perfume, an incense, a sedative, and a herbal medicine said to fight insomnia, birth difficulties, and other minor ailments.

Phytochemistry
Preliminary research on the chemical components of Nardostachys jatamansi indicates the plant contains:


 * acaciin
 * ursolic acid
 * octacosanol
 * kanshone A
 * nardosinonediol
 * nardosinone
 * aristolen-9beta-ol
 * oleanolic acid
 * beta-sitosterol

In spikenard
Nardostachys jatamansi may have been used as an ingredient in the incense known as spikenard, although lavender has also been suggested as a candidate for the spikenard of classical times.