With cold and flu season in full swing, everyone should have a bottle of Thieves oil in their natural first aid kit to help kill germs in your body and around your home.
Powerful and versatile, Thieves oil will stimulate the immune system, circulation and respiratory system, and help protect against the flu, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, sore throats, cuts, and more. Here’s how to make it…
History of Thieves Oil
Legend has it that a band of spice merchants became thieves in the 15th century, when pandemic Plague crashed the economy. They used the following essential oil concoction to rob the gravely ill and deceased without becoming infected themselves. When finally caught for their crimes, the thieves supposedly traded their recipe for a lighter sentence.
Whether or not the legend is true, the ingredients in this mixture are antibacterial, antiseptic and antiviral, and have immune-stimulating properties. That means it should keep just about any flu, cold or virus at bay.
In fact, Thieves oil was tested by Weber State University in Utah in 1997, and found to kill 99% of airborne bacteria when diffused into a room.
How to Use Thieves Oil
Thieves oil is one of Ten Ways to Strengthen Your Immune System, but that is not all Thieves oil can do for you. Here are some suggestions for how you can use it.
Thieves Oil for Household Use
Diffusing - Diffusing Thieves Oil will purify the air, kill germs and eliminate odors. Diffuse several drops of thieves oil for 20-30 minutes three or four times a day in an essential oil diffuser, nebulizer, or in a pot of simmering water on the stove. (Where to find an oil diffuser online.)
If our house or family members have been exposed to any colds, flu or other infectious illnesses, we run the diffuser continuously for a few days. At the very first sign of any cold or flu we diffuse the oil continually until symptoms subside.
We also run the diffuser in the bedroom of anyone who is sick, while they sleep at night. This provides a constant flow of the therapeutic oils into the respiratory tract, and is very healing.
Thieves Oil Recipe All-Purpose Spray - This all-purpose spray solution cleans and disinfects around the home, purifying the air and eliminating odors. Add 1 drop of thieves oil for each ounce of water in a spray bottle. Add the thieves oil first, then add water. It mixes better that way. Shake vigorously before each use.
Use in the air or on countertops, doorknobs, toys, phones, litter boxes, pet beds, and other places that need disinfecting.
Dishwasher and Laundry - Add 4-5 drops to your dishwasher soap cup or to the water in your laundry machine to thoroughly clean, eliminate bacteria and odors. This is especially great to use for washing cloth diapers.
Floors - add a 10-15 drops to ½ bucket of cleaning water.
Pests - To repel aphids, ants or bedbugs, spray plants, surfaces, floors, and mattresses with a mixture of 2 drops thieves to every 4 ounces of water.
Thieves Oil for Common Ailments
Basic Thieves Oil Recipe for Massage - Add 1 drop of thieves oil to 4 drops of a nice massage carrier oil like almond, jojoba, grapeseed or olive oils. Massage on the feet, lower back, neck and behind the ears. On babies, massage just their feet. Test for sensitivity first.
Colds, Flu and Bronchitis - Dilute 15 drops Thieves oil with 15 drops of a carrier oil like almond, olive or jojoba. Apply to lower back (where viruses and bacteria tend to hibernate), to the upper back of thighs, and back of neck to help with symptoms. For coughs and bronchitis, also apply to your feet, sternum, chest and throat.
If you can take a stronger blend, add a few more drops of Thieves oil, to tolerance. (See caution below)
Head and lung congestion - Place a few drops in a steaming bowl of hot water, cover head with towel and inhale vapors.
Sore throat - Add 2-3 drops to 2 Tablespoons. of water and gargle, or add 1 drop of thieves and 1 drop lemon essential oil in warm water, drink as tea. You can also make a throat spray using 1 drop of Thieves oil to 1 ounce of water.
Headache - Place a drop of Thieves oil on your thumb and place your thumb on the roof of your mouth. May require repeated applications. Be careful not to lick your lips because the cinnamon bark oil in the mixture can burn. Use vegetable or carrier oil to wipe off if you do.
Cuts, scrapes - Dilute 1 drop thieves oil to 4 drops of carrier oil apply to wound or scrape to help prevent infection, reduce pain and inflammation, and speed healing. You can also apply diluted Thieves oil to your gauze or bandage.
Poison ivy, insect bites (mosquito, bee & wasp stings) - Combine 1 drop of Thieves oil and 1 drop of lavender essential oil for each ounce of water in a spray bottle, and use on insect bites, poison oak, and poison ivy rashes to reduce inflammation, pain, itching, and irritation.
Bad breath, tooth decay - Add a drop of Thieves oil to your toothbrush to kill germs in your mouth and sanitize your toothbrush. Or, alternatively, add a couple drops to 4 tbsp. of baking soda, place in small container (not plastic) and shake well. Dip toothbrush in mixture and brush.
Immune support – For protection against colds, flu, and other infectious disease apply a few drops of Thieves oil undiluted directly to the bottom of feet. You can also rub a few drops into your hands as a safe, natural hand sanitizer.
Caution: The cinnamon bark, clove and eucalyptus oils in Thieves oil can feel very “hot” or irritating to babies and people with sensitive skin. Always test yourself or your child for sensitivity, and dilute your Thieves oil with a carrier oil like almond, grapeseed or olive oil to the strength you can tolerate. If for some reason you use too much or it feels too strong, use carrier or vegetable oil to quickly remove it from your skin.
Note: Some people recommend ingesting diluted or encapsulated Thieves oil for health purposes. I am not comfortable with this because the cinnamon bark, clove and eucalyptus oils in the mixture can be very irritating—or even toxic—if not used properly.
Essential oils should only be taken internally if you have received a detailed consultation or a prescription from a trained and qualified aromatherapy practitioner.
Thieves Oil Recipe
Tools
- 2 ounce glass bottle(s) with eye dropper cap. (where to get online)
Ingredients
- 80 drops of Essential Oil of Clove Bud (where to get online)
- 70 drops of Essential Oil of Lemon (where to get online)
- 40 drops of Essential Oil of Cinnamon Bark (where to get online)
- 30 drops of Essential Oil of Eucalyptus (where to get online)
- 20 drops of Essential Oil of Rosemary (where to get online)
- 10 drops of Essential Oil of Tea Tree, Lavender, Cedar or other anti-microbial, aromatic essential oil. (OPTIONAL)
Directions
- Mix all essential oils together in a dark glass bottle and shake well to mix.
- Adjust the ratios to suit your needs and smell preference, if you wish. (I always add more cinnamon and rosemary.)
- Shake well before each usage.
Note: One 15 ml bottle of essential oil contains approximately 250 drops and one 5 ml bottle contains approximately 85 drops.
Shared with Simply Natural Saturdays, Sunday School, Make Your Own Monday, Mix it Up Mondays, Clever Chicks Hop, Natural Living Monday, Thank Goodness It’s Monday, Monday Mania, Better Mom Mondays, Homestead Barn Hop, Fat Tuesdays, Titus 2sdays, Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays, Living Green Link Up, Family Table Tuesday, Hearth & Soul Hop, Frugal Tuesday Tip, Titus 2 Tuesday, Teach Me Tuesdays, Backyard Farming Connection, Tutorial Tuesday, The Gathering Spot, Tiny Tuesday Tip, Whole Food Wednesdays, Seasonal Celebration Wednesday, Real Food Wednesdays, Wildcrafting Wednesdays, Party Wave Wednesdays, Healthy 2day Wednesday, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, The Mommy Club, Wicked Awesome Wednesdays, Creative Juice, Keep it Real, Natural Living Linkup, Your Green Resource, Simple Lives Thursday, DIY Thrifty Thursday, Thank Your Body Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Fight Back Fridays, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Frugal Friday, Farm Girl Friday, LHITS DIY Friday!
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
thank you so much, i have been looking for a recipe to make my own. i’m new to essential oils and still trying to figure this all out. i do have a question about any of this oils being an issue during pregnancy? i want to make sure before i start using this. thanks!!
If used topically or in the air, there is no issue in using Thieves oil while pregnant. I wouldn’t ingest it though.
Does it matter if the oils are mixed in a dark glass bottle? Or can I use a clear?
A dark bottle helps the oils from spoiling or going rancid. You definitely don’t want to expose essential oils to light or heat.
Are these seperate oils? (10 drops of Essential Oil of Tea Tree, Lavender, Cedar or other anti-microbial, aromatic essential oil.).
Or are they combined as one?
Yes, tea tree, lavender and cedar are all separate oils. You can add 10 drops of any of these you like.
Excellent, wow what a resource. I’m inspired!
Dawn,
Oh, my goodness. This is exactly what we’ve been needing in our house this week! I’ll be mixing up a batch tonight.
Thanks so much for sharing it in this week’s Thank Goodness It’s Monday carnival.
Blessings!
Kresha from NourishingJoy.com
I thought thyme was a major ingredient in thieves blends? This is a great posts – love the recipe, and the other suggestions are great ideas even if you decide to buy it pre-blended!
I’m a great fan of Thieves oil, besides the huge list of uses you’ve posted I also find it works well to keep down molds and mildew. And mice hate it.
Those are also great uses for Thieve’s oil! Thanks for sharing!
My niece introduced me to thieves oil a few months ago, I haven’t tried it yet, but hear it is amazing stuff — thanks for the recipe to be able to make my own. Thanks for sharing with Hearth & Soul Hop.
I feel smarter after reading this and some of your other posts….thanks! (saw this on Linky Friday at LHITS)
Thank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures’ Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
Check back tomorrow when the new link-up is running to see if you were one of the top 3 featured posts!
Allergic to eucalyptus oil…will this work without it?
Yes, it will. Add the optional tea tree, lavender or cedar oil instead!
Thanks for sharing this on Wildcrafting Wednesday. I have heard about Thieves Oil on Facebook but this is the first time I’ve seen a recipe for it. I’m definitely going to try this.
Chris
Just found your site and love it so far. Just one small point, as a lifelong resident of Utah I can say with some confidence that there is no Webster University in Utah. There is Weber State University located in the Ogden, Utah area – could that be the one you credit as having done the efficacy testing?
Yes, that is the one. Thanks for correcting me.
Thanks for putting together this recipe! I love thieves oil and have been using a small bottle of Young Living’s Thieves oil spray. I had gathered all the oils to make my own but had yet to do any research as to ratios.
I just mixed up a small bottle and put about twenty drops into a hot Epsom salt bath as I am currently battling a nasty bug that keeps coming at me one symptom at a time! What the heck? I am definitely bringing out the big guns now!
Do you ever use alcohol in your sprays for cleaning and disinfecting? It’s the first ingredient in the YL spray. I gave up using isopropyl alcohol years ago after reading Hulda Clark’s books but have found that Everclear (grain alcohol) works anywhere that isopropyl (rubbing/wood alcohol) is called for. It makes a great addition to homemade window cleaner! (I use Crunchy Betty’s recipe for that… best glass cleaner ever!)
I too use alcohol for window cleaning and sometimes surface disinfection, but I am not using Everclear. I’ll have to give that a try! Thanks for your comment!
I love Thieves oil! I usually buy it as a blend, so it’s really interesting and useful to see a recipe. I use it so often that I had actually run out (again) and put it on my Christmas list! I use it mostly for headaches and immune support and generally follow the not-so-precise method of shaking a few drops onto my tongue.
Awesome, Heather! Thanks so much for sharing that! It can be great for common headaches.
Love the Thieves oil recipe. My Grandmother used to make it. I’m definitely going to make some.
Thank you for sharing this on Wildcrafting Wednesdays! I would love to have you stop by and vote for your favorite post on the People’s Choice Awards at:
http://www.theselfsufficienthomeacre.com/2012/12/peoples-choice-award-for-wildcrafting-wednesday.html
I wonder if there is a recipe that does NOT use lemon? My daughter is allergic to citrus of any kind and this definitely won’t be good for her!
Any ideas?
Just take it out! It might not be quite as effective and synergistic with the other oils, but the other four oils are quite powerful by themselves. You can also substitute the lemon oil with 10 drops of lavender, cedar or tea tree oil, as was mentioned in the optional ingredients list. The smell will be different, but you will still get great results. Best to you!
Thank you for the great info, Dawn!
Always my pleasure, Susan!