The potent antiviral, antibacterial cold, and flu remedy called “Thieves” have been spoken of for centuries by herbalists as a preventive tonic. It was used in the Middle ages orally and as inhalants to avoid contracting infection.
It is even said that the “Thieves” during the black plague who stole from the dead, never contracted the plague. There is an old tale of four thieves who were spice merchants that rubbed this concoction on their clothes and put it on their masks as they stole from the dead and never got sick. They were brought before the judge and he was fascinated with their story and bargained with them for their secret. They gave up the secret and instead of being burned alive, they were hanged. Even though this is an interesting story, there are many inconsistancies. The year of the Black Plague is wrong. The spices used were not readily available to common people until many years later. Only the noble would have had access to things like eucalyptus, which comes from another continent.
Now having said that, local herbalists in the villages would have had herbs in bundles that people carried with them for protection against the Black Death. They called them posey’s. Yes, just like the ring around the rosey children’s song.
Ring-a-round the rosie,
A pocket full of posies,
Ashes! Ashes!
We all fall down.
Ring-around-the rosie is said to be a rash that is a symptom of the plague. The posies would have represented the different flowers and herbs people carried to ward off disease. The “ashes” or “a-tishoo” and falling down was supposed to mimic sneezing and eventually dying from the disease.
All fun and interesting facts. But mostly myth.
A dear friend that is an MD has used Thieves daily as a preventive tonic and swears by it. I use 1/2 a dropper daily and will put some on my mask when I go out. The spicy herbal smell is definitely an added bonus!
I have personally used the Young Living Thieves formula for years. I put a few drops under my tongue and breathe in a small bit that I rub on my hands and inhale. Don’t put this one in your nose, it will burn!
The base of this Thieves recipe is Vodka, coming in the Summer of 2022 when the herbs have replenished we will be making Thieves oil as well. So exciting.
I realized tonight that I have most of the necessary fresh ingredients in my garden. So I wanted to give this a try.
Most of the fresh herbs need to be wilted. This means that you remove most of the water in fresh herbs. Otherwise known as the first stage of drying. This will keep mold and bacteria from forming on your botanicals.
Start by picking double of what you need as it will shrink down when drying. I like to pick in the morning after any dew has dried and spread out on paper towels or cheesecloth to dry on a large cookie sheet. Then I will place it in my car in the window to dry for 1 to 1 1/2 days until soft limp and leathery.
1/4 cup dried or 1/2 fresh wilted lemon balm
1/4 cup dried or 1/2 cup freshly wilted lavender buds
1/4 cup dried or 1/2 cup freshly wilted peppermint
1/4 cup dried or 1/2 cup freshly wilted rosemary
1/4 cup dried or 1/2 cup freshly wilted sage
1/4 cup dried or 1/2 cup freshly wilted thyme
1/4 cup or 1/2 cup freshly wilted yarrow flowers and leaves
2 cinnamon sticks crushed, or 1 teaspoon ground
2 tablespoons minced fresh lemon peel
1 tablespoon cloves, crushed or 1 teaspoon ground cloves
15 drops eucalyptus essential oil
5 drops clove essential oil
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
3-4 cups vodka
Strip the herbs from the stems and place them in a large jar. I use a hinged jar with a silicone seal. Place all other ingredients and fill the jar with vodka. Make sure all botanicals have been chopped or crushed in a pestle & mortar and are submerged. Place in a cool dark place for 4 weeks to extract necessary botanicals from your wilted herbs. Make sure to shake your jar daily. I have mine on a shelf in the kitchen under a heavy dark towel, so I will remember to shake it daily.
After 4 weeks strain the jar contents in a strainer and place in a dark jar for storage.
Have fun making your own Thieves! Or you can purchase it from The Butterfly Hill here.
