Make your own Thieves oil
By Laurie Lava-Books

The story of the thieves recipe is an interesting one. No one knows for sure if it is folklore or based in truth. Many say that there was a band of thieves during the bubonic plague between the 14thcentury middle ages. They used this blend (or a similar blend) of herbs to ward themselves from the plague while they robbed the sick, dying or the deceased. When they were caught, they were granted leniency on their sentence if they shared their secret recipe. It really is a morbid story, but that is why people call it Thieves oil. Many brands make their own essential oil versions of this blend. The ‘Thieves’ name is trademarked by Young Living (they are the ones that brought it back into the mainstream), Doterra makes one called ‘On Guard’, Veriditas makes one called ‘Good Samaritan’ and Edens Garden makes one called ‘Fighting Five’. They all may vary a little depending on which essential oil they highlight in their blend.
The blend consists of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus and Rosemary. The beneficial properties of these oils are all Anti-microbial, Anti-bacterial, Fungicidal and antiseptic.
Thieves oil can support your immune system during cold and flu season. I like to use the oil in an electric diffuser to fumigate a sick house. If you want to use it topically, dilute in a carrier oil with the ratio of 5-10% eo to 90% carrier oil. Rub on your chest and or on the bottom of your feet. I always a take a bottle of this blend with me while traveling and put a drop or two in the palm of my hand and rub my hands vigorously together to create a vapor, then cup my hands together over my nose & mouth and breathe in deeply. It can also make an effective mist or spray, just add distilled water to it. You can use the spray to disinfect your linen, couch, children’s toys and stuffed animals, pet beds, etc.
Use:
1 pt. Clove Essential oil
¾ pt. Lemon Essential Oil
½ pt. Cinnamon Essential Oil
1/3 pt. Eucalyptus Essential Oil
¼ pt. Rosemary Essential Oil
If you enjoy lavender try adding some of that! Oregano, Thyme, Frankincense and Myrrh are excellent additions! Allow yourself a little creative freedom if you like!
Use and appropriate size dark amber or cobalt blue glass bottle to store in. Essential oils have a very long shelf life but if you mix in a carrier oil you will shorten the lifespan of your oil. My favorite carrier is jojoba, or fractionated coconut oil for its stable shelf life, but organic sweet almond is nice and nourishing to use for massage oils if you use within a year.
Laurie Lava-Books is an herbalist, medicine maker and the owner of Clary Sage Herbarium in Portland, Oregon -www.clarysageherbarium.com