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.

Thanksgiving How-To: Incorporating Essential Oils into your Holiday

Feeling a little overwhelmed about getting through these next few days? There's the house to clean, food to cook (including a giant turkey!), and family to see. So take a deep breath, apply some Stress Away or Peace & Calming (now that it's back in stock!) and read the following tips and tricks on how to incorporate your oils into your Thanksgiving festivities! You will be happier and healthier because of it!

Setting The Mood

Set the Thanksgiving mood with this festive trio: Cinnamon Bark, Orange & Clove. 

To get into the Holiday Spirit, get your diffuser(s) and add a few drops of Orange, Cinnamon Bark and Clove. It will lift your spirits, increase immune support and, of course, make your house smell wonderful!  

Make Your House Sparkle

It's easy to achieve that a fresh, holiday-ready sparkle with the power of Thieves Household Cleaner + Lemon. 

Spruce up your house with the oh-so-popular and versatile Thieves Cleaner. Just pick it up and spray everything down at once; floors, mirrors, counters, whatever you can think of! Add a few drops of Lemon to your spray bottle for an extra fresh scent and a little boost of cleaning power! And it may just help you focus on what to clean next!

Spice Up Some Treats

Spice up your favorite dishes the Young Living way! I love cooking with Cinnamon Bark, Lemon & Nutmeg essential oils. 

Essential oils make a great addition to many recipes. I've added Oregano to spaghetti sauce, Lemon to ice cream and Rosemary to chicken. For this holiday my recommendation would be to substitute your typical Thanksgiving spices such as Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg with your essential oils instead. Just remember essential oils are pretty potent so just try a drop or maybe 2 to start with.

Favorite Side Dish: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients:

2-4 Sweet Potatoes

Olive Oil (to toss)

1 drop each of Cinnamon Bark, Nutmeg and Ginger

Pinch of salt and brown sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Set oven to 350.

2. Peel sweet potatoes and chop into cubes.

3. Toss in olive oil and essential oils.

4. Spread out on a cookie sheet.

5. Bake for about 45 minutes.  

So delicious! I could eat the whole pan! Really...I think I did one time. But they're so good for you, it's ok! The sweet potatoes provide nutritional value and Vitamin A, and the essential oils contribute immune support from the Cinnamon Bark, digestive support from the Ginger and a boost of energy from the Nutmeg!

Favorite Festive Drink: Cider

Another great treat that’s even better when infused with essential oils is a good cup of Cider! Young Living shared a great recipe around Halloween for Witch's Brew, but it would be even better for this holiday. It's infused with Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Clove and Nutmeg. It has the same benefits as the Sweet Potato recipe (due to the similar oils used) except you have the added benefits of Lemon Essential Oil to help give you a more positive outlook and ability to focus on what else you need to do before the guests arrive!

Rapid Recovery

Spend time with your family...not the bathroom with the help of DiGize and Peppermint essential oils. 

After you have consumed all your Turkey, Gravy, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad and any other annual side dishes, you may need a little help to get through the rest of your evening and decrease your trips to the bathroom. After all, you will probably be sharing your typical 2-bathroom household with 10 times the amount of people as normal!

Apply some DiGize and you will be able to finish watching that football game with minimal interruptions, while your uncle misses out on the whole 3rd quarter. Complement the benefit of DiGize and tackle some of that post-Thanksgiving drowsiness by adding some Peppermint to your water or applying topically.

Festive ideas? Time to share!

From cleaning to side dishes, there are so many ways to incorporate Young Living Essential Oils into your holiday. We'd love to hear some of your ideas! Comment below with your favorite tips and tricks!