Essential oils are a hot topic today. Just consider all the TV commercials for air fresheners and aromatherapy candles that are, at best, nothing more than synthetic scented oils. Here’s an interesting fact from history about plagues and thieves and how, through aromatherapy, a group of thieves almost got away with stealing from the dead and dying. In the Middle Ages, thanks to caravans from the East and the return of the Crusaders, Europeans were exposed to many of the “Arabian perfumes”. It is recorded in history that when Europe was besieged by the plague (Black Death), herbalists, spice merchants and perfumers seemed to be immune. When the plague was at its height, it was discovered that certain thieves could get among the dead and dying to steal from them and never catch the plague. When they were forced to tell how they did it, they confessed that they soaped themselves with a concoction that included clove and rosemary and many other aromatic oils. His secret was made public and posted for all to see.
Aromatics seemed to be the best antiseptic available to people at the time against the plague. They used scented candles to burn in their sick rooms. Its churches and other public buildings were fumigated twice a week with sulfur, hops, pepper, and incense, and aromatic plants were scattered in its streets. Every twelve hours, fires made of pine or wood were lit in the streets, giving off a pungent odor. It was believed that these measures would help clear the air of the plague.
Tea Four Thieves Vinegar appears in the museum of old Marseille:
“Take 3 pints of strong white wine vinegar, add a handful of wormwood, meadowsweet, wild marjoram and sage, 50 cloves, 2 ounces of campanula roots, 2 ounces of angelica, rosemary and horehound and 3 large measures of camphor. Place the mixture in a container for 15 days, strain and squeeze, then bottle.Use by rubbing it on the hands, ears and temples from time to time when approaching plague victims”.
Thieves(TM) is a blend of oils containing clove, cinnamon, lemon, eucalyptus and rosemary oils inspired by the thieves in this medieval story. This oil was tested at Weber State University in 1997 for its powerful antimicrobial properties. It was found that he had
99.96 percent death rate against airborne bacteria. Wow! Here is a story from the past that we can benefit from in our modern world that is still plague-ridden. The most remarkable thing is
MRSA. This is the deadly antibiotic-resistant disease that is sweeping through hospitals across the country. How can you protect yourself from this modern plague? Heed this story and protect yourself with medicinal or therapeutic grade essential oils. Educational aromatherapy courses can help you understand the science behind therapeutic-grade essential oils. We can arm ourselves with protection against deadly diseases.