New Year Saved by Thieves

And now let us welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.
                                                                                                            -author unknown


Happy New Year and greetings from our ice crusted farm!

I hope your holiday season was filled with lots of magic and wonder.  Ours was filled with lots and lots of ice which was indeed magical and wondrous in its own rather wicked way….

Have you ever heard about a blend of essential oils called Thieves Blend?  I discovered it several months ago while I was researching different essential oils for a new soap fragrance I was working on. As the story goes, during the 15th century a band of thieves created a concoction to protect themselves from the plague while they robbed the gravely ill and dying. When the thieves were caught, they disclosed the recipe in return for a less severe sentence.

I don't know if the story is true or not, but the essential oils in this blend are antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-infectious, and they are all known to boost the immune, circulatory, and respiratory systems.  According to Mountain Rose Herbs, one of my favorite organic essential oil suppliers, modern testing has proven the effectiveness of this blend and studies have found it to have a high kill rate against airborne bacteria.  This makes it an effective tool in the fight against the flu, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, and more.

My husband came down with the *real* flu over Christmas, and in an effort to keep the rest of the family well and to improve my husband's condition, each day I added several drops of the blend into a pot of water we keep simmering on the wood stove.  While my husband didn't have a miraculous and immediate recovery, he did express that the blend improved his breathing and congestion and overall comfort.  What I think is amazing though is that no one else got the flu.  We were all in pretty close quarters for the duration of his illness. (Think ice storm, no power, and all congregating near the wood stove for warmth and comfort). This was the second time that I'd used the blend with remarkable results.  Gotta love the power of plants!

Here's the basic recipe for the blend.  If you'd rather not buy the individual oils to create your own blend, you can find pre-mixed blends from several essential oil suppliers including Young Living Essential Oils.

40 drops clove bud essential  oil (I prefer Indonesian)
35 drops lemon essential oil
20 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil (I prefer Radiata)
10 drops rosemary essential oil
(I also add a few drops of tea tree oil to my blend, but feel free to omit or substitute something else.)

Just mix in a dark colored glass bottle with a tight lid.**

Besides all the immune boosting power of this blend, the scent is warm and cozy.  Perfect for this time of the year!

Here's to your good health in 2014!

**Please note:  If you've never worked with or used essential oils before, know that they are very concentrated and powerful, and must be handled with care.  This particular blend is very potent and could be irritating.  It must be diluted before use.  Please educate yourself on the safe handling, dilution and usage before use.