Killing Germs and Taking Names: Some Thoughts About Thieves
Be prepared to be astounded, or possibly horrified. I got my kit from Young Living in November of 2015. I still have not finished the bottle of Thieves essential oil that came in it... and it's only a 5ml bottle. Admittedly it's ALMOST empty, but not quite. Over 2 years, still kicking! You could interpret this as either a fantastic value because boy does it last (true) or that I just don't use it often (also true). Here's my scoop with Thieves.
If you aren't familiar with it, Thieves is a powerhouse blend of clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, rosemary, and lemon essential oils. It smells like Christmas and it doesn't play when it comes to germs. The story goes in days of yore during the plague, grave robbers wore or carried around a similar blend of herbs, infused oils, tinctures etc to ward off plague cooties from their victims. Intrepid thieves, wouldn't you say? Trying to make a living off the dead yet not die themselves in the process? I admire their spirit, and they probably smelled like Christmas too which I dare say would be a lovely change of pace for that time period when hygiene was sort of non-existent (...hence the plague). That beautiful bedtime story became the inspiration of this EO blend and like its herbal counterpart in history, it's a mean mamma jamma for all the yuckies you may encounter.
So why am I not bathing in this miracle stuff every single day? Although I don't aspire to rob any graves, I am certainly assaulted by a multitude of germs working with patients. The deal with Thieves is it's effective, but it may be overkill for many situations. It's a Big Gun oil. Much like I wouldn't swat a fly with a sledgehammer, I don't reach for the Thieves at the first sign of a sniffle or as a preventative measure. If you're using your Big Guns when all is well, what will you do if you should actually get sick?
For immune support and prevention, I much prefer to turn to other natural/holistic avenues. Consider nutrition (for me that means lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, not so much sugar or dairy, more fish than meat, organic when possible), supplements like a multivitamin and probiotic, exercise, good sleep, and stress management (sometimes this means indulging in cake and I'm ok with that!). Those are my first lines of defense.
If I feel the tiniest hint of some crud brewing or it's been a particularly germy week, I'll introduce herbs like elderberry, Echinacea, foods like native/raw honey and garlic, include more juicing or smoothies of fruits/veggies than usual, and do some intermittent diffusion of citrus EOs, maybe some thyme or marjoram, or perhaps a little tea tree. That is typically sufficient for a day or two, and then back to the baseline first lines of defense.
If my hint of crud is NOT gone within 12 hrs (truly, it usually is with the above methods!), or I had a patient who nearly hacked up a lung directly in my face followed by "...my doc thinks I may have pneumonia. Maybe I should have cancelled." (...yes, yes ma'am, you SHOULD have cancelled. Excuse me while I step away to wipe your sputum from my face.) then I may diffuse a touch of Thieves. Literally a touch. Think 2-4 drops, up to 30 minutes, break for an hour, repeat a few times over the course of the day. And that's it! In over two years, I haven't had a cold, sinus infection, bronchitis, nada. I do sometimes use the Thieves EO to scent my homemade hand soap, and I made a winter body butter with it once for a friend who is infatuated with the smell. Those are so diluted they aren't terribly therapeutic in that capacity, but the smell is indeed divine! And thus over 2 years later, there are still some drops left in my original bottle.
I've never used an "immune" roller, I don't diffuse every day and when I do, certainly not a Big Gun oil. And yet everyone around me is dropping like flies with winter illnesses and I'm dragging my sorry ass into work because I feel too guilty to feign illness and call out. So how have I managed to stay well without using any EOs as preventative? Besides the aforementioned first lines of defense with nutrition/sleep/exercise etc, this is my theory:
Since I've gotten into Young Living and using EOs, I've gone more natural in almost every area of my life.
- No scented candles or artificially scented air/linen sprays
- No artificially fragranced body products
- No harsh cleaners (I use Thieves Household Cleaner diluted in water for casual cleaning - this is not a "complete kill" for germs but suitable for everyday use as I don't believe in a sterile home. For the days when we aren't sure if someone has a stomach flu or it was just dodgy Chinese food, it's diluted in hydrogen peroxide)
- Natural makeup
- Natural laundry detergent/dish soap/hand soap
It is my personal belief that it is the ABSENCE of those artificial and potentially toxic products that has made the biggest difference in my health more so than the ADDITION of oils - it just happened that the changes occurred simultaneously because I had to buy/make all new stuff and I wanted things to smell nice! If my immune system was constantly contending with a barrage of synthetic and irritating chemicals, who could blame it for dropping the ball when an actual virus came along? Now my system is getting a break from all that junk and it's primed and ready to do its job when real trouble comes along.
Now regarding safety for when you do use Thieves (which as noted above, my *opinion* is that this should be done more sparingly and as a last line of defense):
Cinnamon - very harsh on skin due to the cinnamaldehyde - dilute to 0.1% or less to avoid reactions. (In a pre-blended oil it's impossible to calculate this, so just dilute really well!). Use caution dermally with kids under 2. It's not recommended for pregnancy or breastfeeding due to animal studies indicating a link between cinnamon ingestion in rats and negative impact on embryonic development. The precaution was made to encompass all use of cinnamon EO, not just ingestion, given the lack of research on human pregnancies and other methods of use. Breastfeeding precautions are generally extrapolated from the pregnancy ones. It can be an irritant for some via inhalation so go easy with diffusion.
Clove - another one that can be rough on skin - dilute to 0.5% or less to avoid reactions. (As noted above, just dilute well) Use caution dermally with kids under 2. It can be an irritant for some via inhalation so go easy with diffusion.
Eucalyptus - avoid applying to face/up noses of children under 10
Rosemary - avoid applying to face/up noses of children under 10
Lemon - phototoxic over 2% (As noted above, just dilute well)
[All safety information is from EO Safety 2E Tisserand and Young]
So, you could conceivably use Thieves on/around kids, just diluted like crazy and not on their faces. Many aromatherapists will tell you otherwise and that is their prerogative to exercise more caution, but if we are to follow the current gold standards in safety, see above. I think the better question is... should you?
Kids develop their immune systems in part by exposure to pathogens and allowing their body to react appropriately to them and make their own antibodies. By slathering them in heavy-hitting antimicrobial oils all the time, you may be inadvertently hindering this natural process and preventing their immune system from becoming as robust as it ought to. It's similar in part to how we know it's not ideal to have a completely sterile home or wash with antibacterial soaps all the time. You may do well to look to other daily measures as I have with diet or supplements and the like. Read more here.
Now, your experience with Thieves may be different. You may go through a bottle a week (...I hope I'm exaggerating, but to each their own!) and feel this is what works best for you. Everyone has to find their own path and comfort level regarding EO usage, but I do encourage you to first look at the safety considerations for each oil in question, ask yourself if there's a milder option that may work just as well, and remember less is almost always more with such highly concentrated products. Even if Thieves isn't one I often reach for in my oily life (just haven't had to!) it's been a part of my journey and a part of the kit that started it all. Making this change towards cleaner living has been one of the best decisions I've made in my life - I've never felt better, and it's so empowering to know I'm making good choices for the current and future health of myself and family. There's a lot in this world you can't control in terms of toxin exposure, but the stuff we put on our bodies and bring in our home? That we can handle.
Feel free to check out the links about my decision to join YL and getting your own YL kit if you haven't already, and of course I'm always available for any questions to help on your own wellness journey!
**because I'm sure it will come up, regarding the use of Thieves Household Cleaner and pregnancy - of course you can ask your OB and consider your own comfort level, but I personally am not terribly concerned about such minimal exposure. It's already very diluted as is, and once diluting further with usually 30 parts water, it's profoundly limited exposure both dermally and with inhalation. It doesn't keep me up at night, but that's just my opinion. Do what feels right for you!