Hey Who Stole My Cold? Thieves Oil Strikes Again

Thieves oil or more properly an essential oil blend coined Thieves (since it is a registered trademark of Young Living Essential Oils™ who sells a wide range of Thieves oil products) has been found by a Weber State University study to have a 99.96% success rate against airborne bacteria. That’s a pretty huge claim to make, but many people swear by their Thieves oil recipes and concoctions.

The basic Thieves oil recipe consists of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus and Rosemary. All of these essential oils have powerful healing properties. Cinnamon and clove make a viral infection less likely to occur by fitting the cell receptor sites normally reserved for viruses – just like a puzzle piece – or I suppose more like a wad of chewing gum and the underside of a park bench. I know from experience that clove oil is exceptional at fighting off colds after trying a natural toothpaste that includes clove and other bacteria fighting ingredients.

Many people already know about lemon’s antiseptic properties since it is used in cleaning products everywhere. According to Jean Valnet, MD, the vaporized essence of lemon can kill meningococcus bacteria in 15 minutes, typhoid bacilli in one hour, Staphylococcus aureus in two hours, and Pneumococcus bacteria within three hours. Even a 0.2% solution of lemon oil can kill diphtheria bacteria in 20 minutes and inactivate tuberculosis. (as stated in the book Essential Oils Desk Reference) Wow! Once you get past the tongue twisting barrage of scientific terms there lemon seems like a miracle cure.

Rosemary helps protect against and destroy bad bacteria, yeasts and fungi – and we’re not talking the fungi from your monster Angus beef, onion and Shiitake burger, more like the fungi crawling between your toes after a fast paced game of basketball. (sorry to those of you who just enjoyed a Shiitake burger, didn’t mean to ruin your fine meal – although you know if you have a bit of bad breath from the onion a bit of Thieves oil might just clear that up)

And let’s not leave out Eucalyptus since it is quite the little gamer itself. We all know about the stimulating aroma of Eucalyptus and its known properties for helping relieve cold and flu symptoms, but it is also adept as an antibacterial and helps stimulate the immune system, It acts as an anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and even analgesic. (that last really isn’t as dirty as it sounds – it just means pain killer – man get your mind out of the gutter).

When you slip all these powerhouse essential oils into a bottle and give it a catchy name like Thieves Oil (with a sordid myth based potentially on the truth) you have a natural remedy winner on your hands.

There are a billion and one uses for Thieves oil from use as a household cleaner, mold destroyer, cold fighter, hand sanitizer and even treating or preventing the common flu, H1N1 Swine Flu, or other variations (although brnad owners can’t make that claim or they’d be put on the naughty list). Since Thieves oil is safe for ingestion a few drops can be added to your toothbrush to fight bacteria in the mouth and on the toothbrush itself.

Basic Thieves Oil Recipe

You can make up an easy Thieves oil recipe your self by mixing 1-tablespoon each of Clove Oil and Lemon Oil, 2 1/2-teaspoons of Cinnamon Oil and 2-teaspoons of Rosemary Oil and Eucalyptus Oil with a cup of Jojoba oil or other carrier oil.

If you aren’t a DIY apothecary type you can always find plenty of good deals on pre-made Thieves Oil at your local natural health store or patiently look for a good sale on Amazon. Look for Young Living Thieves Oil and cheaper alternatives as well.