We are right in the middle of making history as a global society. We are still in the midst of this Corona Virus Pandemic. One of my kids loves history and it is quite delightful when he brings the story to life. It is certainly much easier reading and learning about history than living it. Right now some countries are looking at what their neighbors are doing and what is working and what had disastrous consequences over the last few months. It is hard not to panic and to be fearful of CoVid19. Many is trying to find a secret weapon to boost their own immunity and to fight the virus. In the aromatherapy industry I have watched how lots of opportunist tried to make money of people’s anxiety by making all kinds of claims. You have to be on guard what to believe about essential oils.
If you look at pandemics and plagues throughout history it is very interesting and perhaps we can learn some from those that have walked the earth before us. Wisdom that was passed on through many generations. Although the following is perhaps a folklore tale rather than the truth, but there must be something to the story that cause the essential oil company, Young and Living to trademark the name. Not only do they have a Thieves oil essential blend but they have an entire range of products build around this. Their competitor company DoTerra has a product called On Guard with the same “Thieves” recipe. Which is one of their best-selling products and has been selling like hotcakes since the start of this pandemic.
What is the story behind Thieves oil
So the story goes all the way back to the 14 th century during The Bubonic Plague also referred to as The Black Death. This devastating plague, which lasted for centuries and killed about 50 million people and spread worldwide. The legend of Thieves oil plays off in France. During the plague four thieves were caught robbing and looting the sick and the dying. Interestingly enough they did not contract the plague themselves even though they were touching the clothes and bodies of their victims.
The punishment for this crime was being burned alive. Being really intrigued with their secret the judge offered to spare them the punishment in they would share their secret with him in return. Well it turned out that they were perfume and spice merchants who was desperate for money because they could no longer trade due to the closure of the sea ports.
What was their secret recipe?
They prepared a mixture of essential oils and rubbed that on their hands, ears, temples and under their feet to keep them immune against the plague.
What oils was in this blend?
Lemon oil
Cinnamon oil
Eucalyptus oil
Rosemary oil
Clove oil
Doctors who had to deal with victims of the Black Pl ague followed their recipe and stuffed herbs and cloth that was soaked in the blend in the beak of the masks.
But before you soak your mask in this Thieves oil blend…. read on.
in my research I realized that The Plague still takes lives. Just last year in 2019 a couple in Mongolia died from The Bubonic plague after eating a kidney from a rat, which apparently is a folk remedy for good health. Which is quite ironic with all due respect.
Well, did the remedy work?
The Plague is caused by a bacteria whilst the Coronavirus is a virus. Bacterial infections and diseases can be treated with antibiotics. Antibiotics was only discovered in 1928.
Perhaps the mixture was successful due to the fact that most of those oils have anti-bacterial properties. That being said we don’t really have proof of the success except for folklore. Also I do question whether Eucalyptus really was in that blend since Eucalyptus oil is from the Eucalyptus tree which is a native Australian tree. Not sure whether they could get their hands on that back in the 14 th century.
These days however, we can find scientific studies that have been done to prove whether something is successful and a treatment.
As of yet no studies have been done on the effectiveness of these anti-microbial oils on the Coronavirus. This is such a new virus and scientist are still discovering new information daily about it.
Any claims that essential oils can be used to treat or prevent someone from catching the Coronavirus is simply unfounded.
Can you use these oils to support your body against the Corona virus?
Yes but…. I do have to stress that you have to use essential oils with caution. Essential oils cannot replace a healthy diet, regular exercise and sufficient sleep. Those are the building blocks of a healthy immune system. Personal hygiene and washing your hands and avoid touching your face is still one of the best ways to protect yourself from the Coronavirus according to the WHO.
Using a lot of essential oils can actually put your organs under more strain. Essential oils that are applied topically gets absorbed by your bloodstream. Your liver needs to deal with all of that.
I am really alarmed and very concerned about the advice from MLM reps to ingest essential oils. Often this is recommended as a daily thing, like having a glass of water with a couple of drops of lemon essential oil in to start your day. Or adding essential oils to your cooking and baking.
This is really dangerous advice because for starters oil and water doesn’t mix so you are bound to drink a drop of oil.
Or adding essential oils to your cooking and baking. There is a big difference between putting a handful of oregano on your pizza vs ingesting a drop of oregano oil.
This is dangerous advice and you can read a thorough explanation here.
Although these oils contain anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties they will not kill or treat the Coronavirus.
You can however use this blend of oils to:
- Dilute it with a carrier oil to relieve inflammation.
- Use diluted as a fungal treatment
- This blend of oils mixed with water is a great bug repellent. You just need to add a surfactant to help the oil to mix with the water. Otherwise, the drops go and lie on the top of the water .
- You can diffuse this blend to help clear your airways.
These are some strong oils, therefor. I would recommend that you don’t diffuse this if you have young children or dogs at home.
Be on guard about the advice from MLM reps.
Essential oils last quite a while so of course when you recommend to your customer to take two drops of oil in a glass daily they will finish that bottle sooner and buy another bottle sooner. So it is a win-win for the MLM rep. Often these reps is under a lot of pressure from their up line to sell more.
You DO NOT need hundreds of dollars’ worth of essential oils every month. As an aromatherapist I use essential oils for a lot of things. Essential oils are nature’s gift to us but we need to treat it with care. We also need to be discerning when we need to make lifestyle choices before grabbing the bottle of essential oil.
Take care of you so that you can take care of those you love
Elize
Resources
https://tisserandinstitute.org/covid-19-and-unfounded-claims/
https://tisserandinstitute.org/essential-oils-and-the-immune-system-qa-with-dr-petra-ratajc/
https://www.salon.com/2020/03/17/essential-oils-mlm-coronavirus-covid-19/
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/wellness/a20706426/essential-oil-safety-tips/