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It’s that time of year when colds, flu, sore throats and more are starting to attack. I’ve not felt well all week, and when I discovered that my trusted urgent care center was closed tonight, I decided I needed to take matters into my own hands.
I remembered some talk of an essential oil blend that is supposed to be great for viruses, and a quick Google check led me to an immune-boosting blend commonly known as “thieves” oil, sold by Young Living.
Those of you who are medieval history buffs will enjoy learning about the story of how essential oils were possibly used to fight the plague:
The recipe forthis blend is believed to have originated from thieves during the 15th century. According to popular theory, the concoction was created by a group of four thieves and grave robbers to protect themselves from contracting the plague while robbing the bodies of the gravely ill and deceased. When apprehended, the thieves admitted to using the formula and disclosed the recipe in order to receive a less severe punishment for their crimes.SOURCE
No one really knows if this story is true, but we do know that the essential oils in this blend support a healthy functioning immune system. I need a healthy functioning immune system about now, and I happen to have all of these oils on hand, so I started mixing. It occurred to me that others of you might be interested in a natural way to fight the season’s viruses as well, so here you go. I’ve already slathered this concoction on my feet and chest.
Thieves Oil Recipe
Ingredients:
- 40 drops Clove Bud
- 35 drops Lemon
- 20 drops Cinnamon Bark
- 15 drops Eucalyptus
- 10 drops Rosemary
Mix all essential oils together in a dark glass bottle.
If you prefer to buy a pre-mixed blend, Rocky Mountain Oils carries similar immune-boosting blend calledImmune Strength. It has the addition of Oregano essential oil (and a couple of others) that I really appreciate for a blend of this type. I also like Plant Therapy’s Germ Fighter, which is nearly identical to Thieves.
If you have children between the ages of 2-10, there are ingredients in this recipe that are not safe for diffusing around them. For a safe immunity-boosting blend, try Immunity from Rocky Mountain Oils’ Kids Lineor the Kid Safe blend, Germ Destroyer from Plant Therapy.
5 Common Uses for Thieves Oil
There are many uses for thieves-type oils. Here are 5 common uses:
- Place 2-3 drops in a diffuser. Diffuse at intervals of approximately 20-30 minutes on and 2 hours off. This is especially beneficial if someone in your home or workplace is sick to help boost your immune system and purify the air. It can also be diluted at 3% with a carrier oil and applied to the skin daily for general cold and flu prevention and immune support.
- Fill a spray bottle with 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup white vinegar. Add 16 drops of the essential oil blend. Spray oncounter tops and other surfaces to clean and disinfect. Make sure to shake before using each time.
- Use a 1% dilution rate of the essential oil blend in a base of aloe vera gel, and apply to insect bites to help reduce inflammation, itching, and irritation.
- Mix the essential oil blend at a 2% dilution rate with a carrier oils such as fractionated coconut oil. Use as a massage oil for sore muscles such on your shoulders, lower back, neck, or feet.
- When congested, mix a 2% dilution rate of the essential oil blend with a carrier oil, and rub on the neck and chest. Or, place 1 drops in a bowl of hot, steaming water and inhale the vapors under a towel to relieve the congestion.
This is a strong oil. Do not place it on your skin “neat” (undiluted). Always use a carrier oil. I use jojoba oil, but other carrier oils such as fractionated coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil, etc. are fine as well. Do not take this blend internally. Do not use with children under the age of 10.
Why I Choose Other Essential Oil BrandsOver Young Living (or doTERRA)
I know some of you are wondering — why make your own thieves oil? Why not just buy it from Young Living. All other things being equal, the bottom line for me is cost. A 15-ml bottle of Young Living Thieves oil costs around $45.
I have been thrilled with the quality of the oils from several online essential oil suppliers, such as Rocky Mountain Oils and Plant Therapy, and their prices fit my wallet better. To give you an idea of the cost difference, here’s the cost from Plant Therapy for a 10 ml bottle of each of the ingredient oils:
- Clove Bud $8.95
- Lemon $8.95
- Cinnamon Bark $13.95
- Eucalyptus $6.95
- Rosemary $11.95
Total cost for the ingredients: $50.75
So the purchase of the ingredients to make thieves oil, which total50 ml, is a little over $5 more than the 15ml bottle of Thieves®from Young Living. Plus Plant Therapy ships free. That’s quite a significant difference in cost considering I can make at least 5 bottles of thieves with these ingredients plus have oils left over for other uses. That’s a huge savings, especially for someone who will use the blend for all the reasons listed above.
So many never try oils because they mistakenly believe they have to buy the higher priced products like Young Living or doTERRA. Hopefully, you can see that essential oils don’t have to be outrageously expensive to be great quality, when in actuality even the most frugal of moms can likely afford to purchase essential oils to make her home more natural and improve the health of her family.
Need more convincing? You can read about all of the testing results from Rocky Mountain Oils’ oils hereand Plant Therapy here. Whole New Mom did a personal search for the best oils and ended up choosingRocky Mountain Oils. At the very least, you’ll get quite an education into essential oils.Read more about what she discovered here.
Dr. Robert S. Pappas’s, founder of Essential Oil University, isoffering his The Chemistry of Essential Oils lectures from his class at Indiana University free to the public. Should be interesting listening.
Please know that I am not saying that Young Living and doTERRA are not a great companies that sell excellent essential oils. I’m sure they are and do. My point is that Rocky Mountain Oils and Plant Therapy may be just as great,selling essential oils that are just as excellent, for far less money. I like spending far less money whenever I can.
If you have experience using BOTH Young Living Oils and a non-MLM company, and can share your thoughts about the quality differences, I would love to hear more from you. I really don’t wish to just hear from those of you selling MLM brands without the experience of using other brands. I know you love your MLM.
Essential Oils eCourse
Are you new to the idea of using essential oils for the health and wellness of your family? You are invited to join my 10-day eCourse — Your Simple Guide to Using Essential Oils. This FREE course will be delivered straight to your inbox, one lesson at a time, to help you get started using essential oils safely!
Precautions
Never use essential oils undiluted, in the eyes or mucus membranes. Do not ingest unless working with a qualified practitioner. Keep essential oils away from children. If applying an essential oil to your skin always perform a small patch test to an insensitive part of the body (after you have properly diluted the oil in an appropriate carrier oil).
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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