Spikenard — Nardostachys jatamansi
Spikenard sounds straightforward — a wild Himalayan root, steam-distilled to a dark, earthy oil. But it is a protected species, and the word wildcrafted on a label rarely means a documented chain back to the ground the plant grew in. This one is filled and labelled at origin in Nepal, harvested under FairWild through three certified community forests, and exported under full CITES papers.
Origin
Humla · Nepal
Plant Part
Root / rhizome
Cultivation
Wild · FairWild
Certification
Organic · CITES
01 · Origin
A protected species, documented
Nardostachys jatamansi is listed under CITES, the convention governing international trade in endangered wild plants. Protection does not prohibit trade; it requires that every permit, document and step in the chain be accounted for. Because of that, Spikenard is the only oil in the Oshadhi range filled and labelled at source — the bottles, caps and labels are sent to Nepal, filled at the producer, and exported as finished goods under CITES documentation. The line from rhizome to sealed bottle is never interrupted.
Geography
Humla, in Nepal's far northwest — among the most remote districts in the country, in high upper-hill and Himalayan terrain. Jatamansi grows in a band of roughly 3,000–5,000 metres.
Certification
Organic and FairWild, through three Community Forest User Groups — RIP, Changla and Sunpani. CITES-compliant export documentation maintained across the chain.
02 · Harvest
FairWild restraint, in Humla
Collection is organised through the three community forest groups, the rhizomes dug by hand by trained local collectors under regular supervision. For families across Humla, the September season is a meaningful source of income. FairWild sets the limits the harvest works within, and they are specific.
Harvesting
Each collection area is rested five years before it is worked again. Only mature rhizomes are lifted. Collection falls mainly in September, after the plants have set seed. No more than about 5% of available material is taken in a season.
Yield
Approximately 0.9–1.2% essential oil per kilogram of rhizome. Yields have improved in recent years through more careful selection of mature material.
Only mature rhizomes are collected, and the same area is rested for five years before it is harvested again.
— Ayus quality team, Nepal sourcing statement, 2026
03 · Distillation
Distilled whole, near Kathmandu
The rhizomes are transported from Humla to a distillery at Lele, near Kathmandu. Distillation runs long — around eighteen hours by steam injection, twenty to twenty-five over direct fire. Each batch is collected and stored together; individual fractions are not separated, so the oil carries the full character of the root.
Distillation
Steam injection (~18 h) or direct fire (~20–25 h). Single-batch collection, no fractionation. Root and rhizome material only.
Chemistry
A sesquiterpene-rich profile led by valeranone at around 25%, with a substantial fraction that resists routine identification — consistent with a whole, wild-harvested root distilled without fractionation. Deep, earthy-sweet, resinous.
These are fair questions to put to any Spikenard on the market: the precise region, the harvest method, the certification, and whether the chain back to the plant can be evidenced. For 2201N, each is set out above.
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NO. 2201N
Spikenard, Organic (CITES compliant)
Nardostachys jatamansi · 5 ml
Wild-collected in Humla, Nepal. Root-distilled, filled and labelled at origin.