Thieves Oil
The Bubonic Plague was nicknamed the Black Death because of symptoms such as severely swollen lymph nodes, black sores, and blackened skin. The lymph nodes, primarily around the armpits and inner thighs, could become so filled with toxins that they would break open and ooze. However, black sores (buboes) can also develop in other areas of the body due to hemorrhage under the skin. Symptoms also included fever and joint pain.
There are three forms of the "Black Death" caused by the same bacterium: bubonic, septicemic, and pneumonic. Each depends on how one was infected. Bubonic plague, as mentioned, settles in the lymph nodes, Pneumonic Plague infects the lungs, and Septicemic Plague is within the blood. The latter two are nearly always fatal.
Between 50% and 75% of the people contaminated died, and up to 50% of the population in cities and towns was wiped out. At the peak of the pandemic, approximately 800 people were buried each day in Paris, which sounds much like what Italy went through during the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The disease finally ran its course by the mid-thirteenth century, but it would rear its ugly head occasionally throughout the rest of the medieval period.
Millions of people died from contracting the plague. France was hit especially hard. By 1413, because businesses had shut down (sound familiar?), four spice trading merchants had to find a way of supporting themselves. Having a background in the use of spices and herbs, they decided to use their knowledge to help them rob and loot the homes and bodies of the dead. They made out very well, bartering their loot for food and money.
When the King heard of what they were doing, he wanted to know how they could get away with touching the bodies without becoming ill. He captured the four thieves and promised they would not be "burned" for their crimes if they revealed their secret. Of course, they readily handed over their secret: that special herbs provided them with immunity. They explained how wearing herbs enclosed in masks and rubbing oils derived from the herbs on their skin (later known as thieves' oil) kept them from contracting the plague.
Of course, there is another version of how the oil came about. Another story tells of how the thieves were already prisoners, sentenced to bury victims of the plague. To survive, the thieves leaned on their knowledge of plants and herbs to create a unique vinegar to protect them from the Black Death.
Over the centuries, people have created many versions of Thieves' oil. Most modern-day recipes contain just five essential oils that have been studied and proven to kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi. However, the Herpes Witch Remedy Oil recipe contains thirteen powerful essential oils and a fourteenth that gently lifts your spirit.
