Khus Oil

The essential oil of vetiver, vetiveriazizanioides is one of the most important raw materials in perfumery both as a fixative and in its own right as a fragrance ingredient. It has extensive applications in toiletries and cosmetic industries and vetiver root is also important in traditional medicine as a carminative, stimulant and diaphoretic. Vetiver oil possesses sedative property and has been traditionally used in aromatherapy for relieving stress, anxiety, nervous tension and insomnia for a long time commercial channels for it is almost entirely consumed within india where it enjoys a great popularity.
1. The indian affection for the particular fragrance of wild vetiver or khus as it is normally called is such that it fetches a price four times that of the cultivated variety. A casual olfactory analysis of the cultivated and wild oils would lead one to believe that they are quite similar in nature but to the indian nose it does not at all seem the case, hence their attachment to khus oil even at its sharply higher price.