Did you know that essential oils may be the oldest and
some of the most powerful agents to support health and
wellness known throughout history?
Some scientists believe that essential oils were first used
in China or India, while other researchers believe that
Egyptians were first to discover the beneficial properties
of essential oils. The Egyptians created fragrances for
personal use as well as for ritualistic and ceremonial use
in temples and pyramids. Egyptians and Babylonians used the
oils for medicinal purposes long before the individual herbs
were studied for medical use.
Translations of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and Chinese
manuscripts describe how essential oils were used thousands
of years before the time of Christ. Records dating back to
4500 BC describe the use of balsamic substance with aromatic
properties for religious rituals and medical applications.
The Egyptians collected essential oils and stored them in
alabaster vessels. In 1922, about 50 heavy alabaster jars
designed to hold 350 liters of oils were discovered (they
contained traces of oils) when they opened King
Tutankhamen’s tomb. Tomb robbers literally chose to steal
the oils over the gold.
There are more than 200 references to aromatics, incense,
and ointments in the Bible. Myrrh, just one of those oils
was mentioned in the Bible 18 times directly and 138 times
indirectly. It is the most mentioned oil in the Bible. One
reason is that Myrrh was regularly added to other fragrances
and ointments because it helped to prolong their life.
Frankincense, also well known because along with Myrrh and
gold, was given as a gift to the Christ child. Frankincense
was well known during the time of Christ for its anointing
and healing powers and is now being researched and used
therapeutically in European hospitals. Click here to discover modern uses for
Papyrus, a medical scroll over 870 feet long dating back to
1500 BC was discovered in 1817. The scroll describes over
800 different herbal remedies and prescriptions. Many
contained Myrrh and honey.
The Romans fumigated with oils and resins in their temples
and political buildings and scented their baths with oils
followed by a fragrant oil massage.
Arabian people began to study the chemical properties of
essential oils. They developed and refined the distillation
process. They extracted rose oil and rose water, which were
very popular in the Middle East at that time. Kings would
barter and buy land, gold and slaves with their crudely
extracted oils. The oils were more valuable than gold.
Sadly, during the Dark Ages, with the burning of libraries
in Alexandria and other places, much of the knowledge of
essential oils and their uses were lost.
The History of Thieves
During the Medieval plague, four
15th-century French thieves formulated a special aromatic
combination composed of clove, rosemary, and other botanicals
they used while robbing the dead and dying. When finally
captured, the men reportedly admitted to creating a concoction
that contained 50 cloves and the herb rosemary, along with
other aromatics. They rubbed this potion on their hands, ears,
and temples. The secret of the thieves was made public and the
formula was posted in the city. Young Living’s entire Thieves
product line is infused with our popular and powerful Thieves
essential oil blend, a proprietary combination of Cinnamon,
Lemon, Rosemary, Eucalyptus, and Clove essential oils. The
company founder, Gary Young based this formulation based on 17
different versions of the thieves story while studying at the
Warwick University in London, England, in 1991. Through his
research he was led to four key botanicals: clove, cinnamon,
rosemary, and lemon. He took the essential oils of those
botanicals and combined them with eucalyptus essential oil to
make Thieves essential oil blend.