Nardostachys jatamansi

Description

Nardostachys jatamansi is a flowering plant of the Valerian family that grows in the Himalayas. 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 medicine and in religious contexts. It is also called spikenard, nard, nardin, or muskroot. Mounting evidence shows that it is critically endangered (as rated by the IUCN) in the wild due to overharvesting for medicine, overgrazing, loss of habitats, and forest degradation.