Essential Oils History 101

From Queen Cleopatra’s personal spa to our nightly routines, essential oils have been...well...essential in people’s lives for thousands of years. So today, we decided to take a look back. Way back, to the beginning of essential oils’ rich history.

We love how the oils we use on a daily basis have been used by people from nearly every major ancient culture. They must have been on to something, huh? Consider this your Essential Oils History 101 crash course. Buckle up, we have human history to cover.  

Oil Like an Egyptian

Queen Cleopatra used plant-based oils and pastes in her famous beauty spa. 

Recorded essential oil history starts with the Egyptians. As a world power for almost 30 centuries, their love of oils was diffused around the world to cultures like the Jews, Greeks and Romans. Want to oil like an Egyptian? Here are a few ways they used oils and plant-based products in their culture.

• Beauty: Famous for her radiant skin, Queen Cleopatra opened the world’s first spa. She extensively used...you guessed it...essential oils.
• Burial: The items that Egyptians chose to bury with their Pharaohs gives us insight into what they treasured. It’s no surprise that King Tut was buried with 350 liters of essential oils!
• Worship: The oils were considered sacred and at height of Egyptian power only priests were allowed to use them. In fact, each deity had a dedicated oil.
• Power: Pharaohs also had blends developed for every aspect of their rule, from love and war to mediation.  

The Wild East

"The Yellow Emperor's Book of Internal Medicine" is still used by eastern medicine practitioners today! 

Essential oils were also valued in eastern cultures like China, India and Persia.

• China: Essential oils were first recorded in the east between 2697-2597 BC, during the legendary Yellow Emperor’s reign. His book “The Yellow Emperor’s Book of Internal Medicine” covers essential oil use and is still a classic resource of modern eastern medicine practitioners.
• India: Ayurvedic medicine has a 3000 year history with essential oils for health and spiritual purposes. The literature contains over 700 substances including some of our favorites: Cinnamon, Ginger, Myrrh and Sandalwood.
• Persia: A prolific researcher on plants and their effect on humans, Avicenne was the first person to record his distillation methods in 980 BC. They are still in use today!

Fit for a King

We wrote about the oils that were fit for a king this Christmas, check it out!

Take a look at which oils were presented to Jesus at his birth.

Dark Times

What does Thieves Essential Oil Blend have to do with the Black Plague? Check out one of our top posts to find out! 

The Dark Ages were a dark time for humanity and essential oils. Holistic healing and baths (yes, really) were prohibited by the church. However some essential oil tradition continued as people leaned on aromatic blends to counterbalance the church’s anti-bathing stance. As a bonus, this practice actually supported the user's immune system.

The Dark Ages and Bubonic Plague also brought us Thieves blend! Read how the Black Plague set the stage for one of our most beloved oil blends.

French Connection

The French, including chemist Rene Gattefosse, developed many of our modern Essential Oil techniques. 

Modern Essential Oils study started in France. French chemist Rene Gattefosse coined the term “aromatherapy” in 1937 after observing lavender’s skin-boosting results. Other essential oil experts followed: Dr. Jean Valet who used Essential Oils to help injured WWII soldiers and Marguerite Maury who pioneered The Raindrop massage technique. Thanks to Robert Tisserand, much of France’s aromatherapy knowledge has been translated to English for us to learn from today.  

Start Your History Today!

If you’re ready to start your own personal history with Essential Oils, contact us today! We’d love to team with you as you journey toward wellness, purpose and abundance.

Essential Oils: Gifts Fit for a King

Matthew 2:11 “As they [the wise men] came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

They opened their treasure boxes. As I contemplate that phrase, I am reminded that essential oils are treasures. Honestly, I don’t always treat them as such. I keep oils in my kitchen, in my bathroom, in my purse – everywhere I am! I treat them almost casually because they are as much a part of my life as breathing! Scripture has a “funny” way of reminding me, of bringing me back to what is important.  

Essential Oils: Gifts Fit for a King

The wise men traveled for months to find a “king” they had read about. When they found him, with the help of the Lord and a star, they bowed down and worshiped him.  Then, they opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts!

They offered the Treasure of Heaven gifts from their treasure boxes. Gifts they had prepared in advance. Gifts they had carried for miles. Precious gifts. Gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Essential oils for a child? Yes. Essential oils for a poor family in a foreign country? Yes. Essential oils for a king? Yes.  

Why Frankincense & Myrrh?

Why? Did Mary and Joseph know they were treasures? Why were they treasures?   What was their purpose? Did they know what to do with them?

Plants and oils were part of everyday life in Bible times, much like they are in mine today! So, what made these two oils, frankincense and myrrh, more precious than others? Thanks to history and science, we have learned much about these two plants and essential oils. Let’s take a look at them!

Frankincense: The Right Frequency  

Frankincense has one of the highest frequencies in the essential oil world. Your body has frequencies as well. When the frequencies of your body come in contact with the frequencies of frankincense oil wonderful things happen!

Historically, frankincense was used for:

• anointing
• aromatherapy
• spiritual enhancement
• healing and wellness

I admit, I do not do much anointing on a daily basis, but I do use my oils for the other purposes listed.

Much research has been done in my home on the use of frankincense and promoting skin care. I do not have to go further than my bathroom mirror to see the amazing skin benefits of frankincense.  

I have also personally found that adding frankincense to other oils I use truly “kicks it up a notch.” Perhaps the high frequency gives my body what it is needs to keep doing what it is designed to do!  

Whatever the scientific reason, I know our home will never be without our frankincense!  We use it for spiritual health, emotional health, and physical health.

I have used it to support my:

• skin
• respiratory system
• immune system
• sleep

Frankincense is a day-to-day treasure for issues that arise in our home!

Myrrh: A Multitasking Treasure

Let’s move on to the treasure of myrrh oil. Yes, I love my frankincense, but myrrh is a treasure in our home, too. Although myrrh’s frequency is not as high as frankincense, it was one of the most desired oils in Bible times.

Historically, it was used to prevent infection, to aid in healing of the skin, and, of course, to promote spiritual awareness. Perhaps the skin on Mary’s belly was not as smooth as it had been. Perhaps as her baby grew, he might fall and scrape his knee.  Perhaps this young family would use their myrrh in worship.

Since Mary had just given birth, she would certainly find many uses for her newly acquired treasure of myrrh, both for herself and her family. It is an oil that can promote:

• dental health
• skin health
• respiratory health
• immune system

Join My Team to Find Out More About the Gift of Frankincense & Myrrh 

Although scripture doesn’t specifically answer the question of “why,” my mind runs rampant with reasons young Mary and Joseph would find many uses for the treasures of frankincense and myrrh given to them by the wise men!

I am also fairly confident they did not attend an oil class or research the uses on the internet, but since our western culture is not as versed in essential oils, I would be honored to help you explore how to incorporate frankincense and myrrh oil into your everyday life.

Join my incredible Silver (#1339187) team here to begin your Young Living journey toward better health, wellness and abundance! For any questions, please contact me at OilTogetherNow@gmail.com.

Whether or not you travel a long distance, as you open your Christmas boxes to view your own new treasures, I hope you are reminded of the True Treasure found by the wise men long ago.  May be your home be filled with the blessing of love and laughter!