Salting-out assisted steam distillation method (SSD) was used to extract the essential oil of Nardostachys jatamansi DC..Based onsingle-factor experiments,the extraction conditions of essential oil from N. jatamansi.were optimized by orthogonal experiments.The effects of the addtion of sodium chloride on the essential oil′s yield,sensory quality,physical properties (relative density,acid value,ester value,etc.),chemical composition and scavenging ability of DPPH free radicals were investigated.The optimal extraction conditions for extracting the essential oil ofN. jatamansi by SSD method were:crushing degree 50 mesh,solid-liquid ratio 1∶12,extraction time 9 h,and NaCl mass fraction 5%.Under these conditions,the average yield of essential oil was 4.08 %,which was 8.2% higher than that of steam distillation (SD).The chemical components of the essential oil of N. jatamansi were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.A total of 56 chemical components were isolated and identified.The main components were calarene,eucalyptol-4 (15),7-diene-1β-ol,patchouli alcohol,(±)-cadinene.The addition of sodium chloride to extract N. jatamansi essential oil can effectively improve the extraction rate of essential oil and has little effect on the sensory quality,chemical composition and DPPH free radical scavenging ability of essential oil,but has a certain effect on the physical and chemical properties of N. jatamansi essential oil.Salting-out assisted steam distillation can improve the yield of essential oil of N. jatamansi.