Chinese incense culture(香学) · Spice Compendium
Spikenard
Spikenard root is spicy and steady; it can regulate qi and relieve pain as medicine, and is also a warm, gentle base note in sachets and blended incense.
Source: Root and rhizome of plants in the genus Nardostachys (Valerianaceae).
Origin: Tibetan Plateau, southern foothills of the Himalayas (India, Nepal).
Aroma: Spicy, sweet, and woody with an earthy note, steady and long-lasting; an excellent base note for blended incense.
Uses: Sachets, incense powder; in medicine it regulates qi, relieves pain, disperses depression, and refreshes the spleen. WithAgastache rugosa、Lingling XiangOften used together as companion ingredients in perfume sachets.