N. jatamansi is a perennial that grows in the Himalayas at an elevation of 3000-5000 meters and is an important medicinal plant in India - also growing in Nepal, Buthan, Myanmar, and Southern China. It is now listed as "critically endangered" the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species becuase of overharvest, loss of habitat, and forest degradation. The Nepalese government has banned the export of unprocessed spikenard and is supporting cultivation to minimize wildcrafting while directly managing forests. Aromatics International sources the oil from a distiller in Nepal that uses sustainble methods based on a careful rotation that does not impact the plant's life cycle. Spikenard was regulary mentioned in the Bible and used as incense and ointment - expensive perfume often associated with royalty. In traditional medicine it is considered a tonic, antipyretic, and laxative but also used to treat sore throat, leprosy, and blood diseases. Greek physician Dioscorides suggested the herb for nausea, indigestion, menstrual issues, and inflammations. In the Ayurveda system, the roots are used to treat epilepsy, hysteria, mental weakness, and neural diseases.