Old-Fashioned Thieves Oil

The Bubonic Plague was nicknamed The Black Death due to symptoms of severely swollen lymph nodes, black sores, and blackened skin. The lymph nodes, primarily about the armpits and the inner thighs, could become so filled with toxins they could break open and ooze. However, black sores (buboes) could also develop in other body areas due to hemorrhaging under the skin. Symptoms also included fever and joint pain. 

 

There are three types of "Black Death" caused by the same bacteria: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Each depends on how one was infected. Bubonic plague, as mentioned, settles in the lymph nodes, Pneumonic Plague infects the lungs, and Septicemic Plague is within the blood. The latter two are nearly always fatal. 

 

Of the people individually contaminated, between 50% to 75% died. Up to 50% of the population in cities and towns was wiped out. ​In Paris, approximately 800 people were buried each day at the peak of the pandemic, which sounds much like what Italy went through during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The disease finally ran its course by the mid-thirteen hundreds, but it would rear its ugly head occasionally throughout the rest of the medieval period.

 

Millions of people died from contracting the plague. France was hit especially hard. By 1413, because businesses had shut down (sound familiar?), four spice trading merchants had to find a way of supporting themselves. Having a background in the uses of spices and herbs, they decided to use their knowledge to help them rob and loot the homes and bodies of the dead. They made out very well and bartered their loot for food and money.

 

When the King heard of what they were doing, he wanted to know how they could get away with touching the bodies without becoming ill. He captured the four thieves and promised them they would not be "burned" for their crimes if they revealed their secret. Of course, they readily handed over their secret, that special herbs provided them immunity. They explained how wearing herbs enclosed in masks and rubbing oils derived from the herbs on their skin (later known as thieves oil) kept them from contracting the plague.

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​Of course, there is also another version of how the oil came about. Another story tells of how the thieves were already prisoners whose sentence was to bury victims of the plague. To survive, the thieves leaned on their knowledge of plants and herbs to create a unique vinegar to protect them from The Black Death. ​

 

Over the centuries, people have created many versions of thieves oil. Most modern-day recipes contain just five essential oils that have been studied and proven to kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi. My recipe contains thirteen powerful essential oils, along with a fourteenth that gently lifts your spirit.​

The Captains Ladys Remedy Oil Recipe

Fourteen Healing Essential Oils In One Easy-to-Use Antiviral Formula

Antiviral Herb & Essential Oil Research Studies

A study took place at Weber State University (1997), where results proved the five common ingredients in modern-day Thieves oil have a 99.96% success rate against airborne bacteria. Within 10 minutes of infusing into spaces where bacteria had been exposed, findings proved an 82% reduction in bacteria (Micrococcus luteus) found in water, air, dust, and soil, a 44% reduction of staph (Staphylococcus aureus) and a 96% reduction in sepsis (Pseudomonas aeruginosa). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Lemon balm (melissa), peppermint, basil, perilla, prunella, and winter savory essential oils showed potent anti-HIV-1 activity. From: Yamasaki, K., Nakano, M., Kawahata, T., MORI, H., OTAKE, T., UEDA, N., … & MURATA, H. (1998). Anti-HIV-1 activity of herbs in Labiatae. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 21(8), 829-833.

 

  • Topical application of cinnamaldehyde (an active ingredient in cinnamon) promotes faster healing of skin wounds infected with pseudomonas aeruginosa ( a gram-negative bacteria that causes severe acute and chronic infections), https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6515316/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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​NOTE: The terms "Antiviral" and "Virucidal" have two very different meanings. An antiviral reduces the replication of the takeover of healthy cells. A virucide annihilates or deactivates viruses. Furthermore, not all antiviral and virucidal properties in plant-based medicines will reduce replication or kill all microorganisms. Instead, they may be virus-specific or act on similar viruses.

 

Illustration Credit: By I. Columbina, ad vivum delineavit. Paulus Fürst Excud〈i〉t. - 1. Johannes Ebert and others, Europas Sprung in die Neuzeit, Die große Chronik-Weltgeschichte, 10 (Gütersloh: Wissen Media, 2008), p. 197. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3DVH8dVGkX0C&pg=PA1972. Superstock: Dr. Schnabel of Rome, a Plague Doctor in 1656 Paul Fuerst Copper engraving (Stock Photo 1443-1112 with a blue overlay), Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1569568

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