A Wellness Solution To The Modern Day Plague
I have always loved the smell of perfume. Earthy, spicy, florals … there is nothing like getting dressed and adding a spritz of a favorite scent to my warm skin. It’s one of the best things about being a girl and there is nothing like having your personal scent being caught on a warm breeze and your husband coming close, leaning into the nape of your neck and smelling the uniqueness of you. While my perfume shelf is about as varied as the counter at Nordstrom’s, I have my go-to favorites from Cartier and Jo Malone along with CREED, which was founded in 1760 and has been the perfumer to Europe’s monarchies for centuries. But today I write, not about my perfume collection but my medicine chest and the base to all great perfumes … their foundation, ESSENTIAL OILS. Not all essential oils, I’m talking about the Mother Lode, the scent known today as Thieves Oil.
For me, my family, household, and every destination that I visit Thieves Oil, also known as OnGuard, is the one essential oil combination that is a multipurpose server.
The name THIEVES OIL was originally inspired by the legend of four 15th-century thieves who formulated it to provide protection while they were grave robbing during none other than the BUBONIC PLAGUE aka the Black Death!
Now remember, coming into contact with someone who had the plague was the “kiss of death” but eventually the four thieves were caught red-handed. In those days, punishment for stealing was death by being burned alive however when the four thieves explained how they remained alive while robbing from the dead and dying, it captured the judges attention and curiosity, eventually resulting in a wide-spread usage.
It seems that pre-plague, the thieves were perfume and spice merchants who were now unemployed due to the closure of the sea ports and the mass devastation of the plague. This oddly sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Blending essential oils is a form of creativity, so they put on their thinking caps pondering “how are we going to survive” and “how are we going to make money” and found the solution (no pun intended)? It hadn’t been since the ancient Egyptians who believed they had to take all of their worldly possessions into the afterlife and the truth is, you don’t need money or jewels when you are dead, so I guess the four thieves figured why not steal from the sick and dying? Look I’m not saying what they did was right but you have to admit, they were creative. They prepared the essential oil recipe, applied it to their hands, ears, temples, feet and put a mask over their mouths, thus keeping them safe from infection.
Daily Use
Before I put on my running shoes or heading out for a bike ride, I put two drops on the arch area of the inside of my shoes.
Just based upon where they supposedly placed it on their own bodies, I can attest to the power of putting it on the bottom of your feet daily and I have been putting one drop on my mask every time I leave the house. But back to the four thieves … at the end of the day, they were hanged for their crimes and today, we have the blessing of having the oils available to use for our own preventative reasons.
INGREDIENTS – listed in alpha, not by order of importance and scroll down for specific amounts.
1. Cinnamon … warming, comforting, energizing
2. Clove/Clove Bud … warming, soothing, comforting
3. Eucalyptus … revitalizing, invigorating, clarifying
4. Lemon … refreshing, cheerful, uplifting
5. Rosemary … uplifting, purifying
Additions to the recipe or replacement oils
1. Bergamot … calming, uplifting, cleansing
2. Orange … energizing, uplifting, purifying
3. Thyme … antibacterial, antimicrobial, cleansing, purifying
Some of the potential benefits of the combination include boosting immune function and fighting infections. You may even see additional benefits advertised such as:
fighting nasal and sinus congestion
promoting respiratory and cardiovascular health
energizing or uplifting mood
When you take the individual oils and break down what each one can potential “do” for you, check this out. Antimicrobial, wound healing, pain relief, effects on mood. Medical News Today has a recent report from April 2020, if you would like to check out some medical backup.
HERE IS HOW I USE IT
DAILY inside my shoes. Before I put on my running shoes or heading out for a bike ride, I put two drops on the arch area of the inside of my shoes.
DIFFUSED in our bedroom during cold/flu season. And the most important one for me …
WHEN TRAVELING. Every suitcase in the house has a spray bottle of OnGuard. Why? Whether I’m traveling on a cruise ship or staying in hotel, Airbnb, VRBO, you name it … as soon as I enter a hotel room, I spray every handle in the room, the remote control (such a yuck spot for a germ collection), the phone (if there is one), the AC knobs, literally every surface of the room that a person would touch during their stay. Not only does it help with the germs, it makes the room smell GREAT and personalizes our stay.
CONVINCED & READY TO GIVE IT A TRY?
You can buy Thieves Oil from DoTERRA and heads up, they’ve named their blend OnGuard. You can also find it at Young Living Oils (I’ve bought it from one of their distributors as well as ordered it through Amazon) or you can make it yourself with the below recipe. Always remember to dilute it before using it on your skin (with a base oil like jojoba or coconut and some people prefer to use olive oil however that can lend a pepperiness to it that I don’t care for) or as a spray like I mentioned above (mixed with Distilled Water):
Mountain Rose Herbs suggests the following recipe:
40 drops clove bud essential oil
35 drops lemon essential oil (Option: can be replaced with orange or bergamot.)
20 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
10 drops rosemary essential oil
10 drops thyme essential oil (Option: for more therapeutic benefits)
Mix all the components together and store in a dark glass bottle. This solution is highly concentrated.
OTHER USE OPTIONS
You can use Thieves Oil in a steam inhalation, which I have found particularly helpful when I’ve had bronchial congestion. It can be added to massage creams/oils and used as a room spray like I talked about earlier. These days I would even add it to my hand sanitizer although I have been known to just spray it on my hands and then rub them together briskly. Works great and smells even better!
One of the reasons that I am so passionate about THIEVES OIL is because in the 20 years I spent working in the travel and cruise industry …
I welcomed more than one million guests, traveled to over 77 countries worldwide, was on the very first cruise ship that was hit by the spread of Norwalk virus, back when it was just considered by the CDC as “GI” and guess what? Combined with my vigilance and wellness habits, Thieves Oil/OnGuard, kept me healthy … even when those around me were dropping like flies!