Sarah H gave me a wonderful Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) plant last Summer, it is still thriving on my kitchen window ledge, although I haven't had time to use it yet for much yet. I was going to just dry it and then use the leaves in pot pourri and incense. I tried that, but noticed that the dried leaves don't smell half as potent as the commercial variety you can get. I've read that patchouli leaves have to be 'cured' after drying, like a numpty I didn't save the page link to where I read that snippet of information and now I can't find it again! Can anybody shed any light on the subject? Do they need 'curing' and if so how?

If anybody else is growing patchouli can you share your tips and tell me what you've used it for and how you preserved it, is the scent strong from your dried plant material, if so what am I doing wrong?

Debs