FOUR THIEVES ROOM SPRAY

Have you ever heard of four thieves oil? If you’re unfamiliar, here’s a quick recap. During the black plague, there were these grave-robbers who raided the homes of the plague victims but never seemed to get the plague themselves. The thieves anointed their bodies in vinegar infused with herbs that would protect them from the plague.

The herbs they used were known to be antimicrobial and antibacterial. Both of which can be effective for immune protection, which is vital during a pandemic. Also, some of the herbs may have been effective for repelling fleas, which as you may remember is attributed to the rapid spread of the plague.

WHICH HERBS ARE USED?

The herbs the thieves actually used are disputed. It’s common to find modern-day recipes with lots of different herbs, such as:

• Eucalyptus
• Rosemary
• Cinnamon
• Lemon
• Clove
• Sage
• Lavender
• Thyme
• Garlic
• Juniper
• Black pepper

I used eucalyptus, rosemary, cinnamon, lemon and clove for my room spray. This room spray contains two parts. The first part is a hydrosol. This process preserves the properties of the plant materials used and it also prolongs the aroma of each plant. The second part is to enhance its properties even further with vinegar.

FOUR THIEVES HYDROSOL

I started out by making a hydrosol using the herbs. Don’t let that sound intimidating. It’s a really easy process. All you need is a large pot with a lid, a heat-safe bowl and a pyrex bowl or measuring cup (also heat-safe). I placed the metal bowl upside down in the middle of the pot and surrounded it with the eucalyptus, rosemary, cinnamon, lemon and cloves. Then poured enough water to submerge all of the herbs. Next I placed a Pyrex bowl on top of the upside-down bowl. This will collect the water we’re going to use for our room spray.

Place the lid upside down and keep ice cubes on top. Replace them as they melt. Over medium heat, bring the pot to a boil and simmer on low heat until you’ve collected enough water for the room spray. I used about 2 cups for my 32-ounce bottle. Which, by the way, is an upcycled apple cider vinegar bottle.

I topped the rest of the bottle off with distilled white vinegar. To get some extra infusion going, I shoved a few sprigs of eucalyptus and rosemary inside the bottle as well. I used a spray bottle top and like magic, a four thieves room spray!

YOU CATCH MORE FLIES WITH HONEY THAN YOU DO WITH VINEGAR

If we were living in medieval times and the goal was to ward off disease, vinegar would be a major component in our toolkit. Mostly because of its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. So, we’re diluting the hydrosol with vinegar, which preserves the water to extend its shelf-life while also adding extra protective properties to the room spray.

If the hydrosol part seems too complicated, you can totally skip it. Instead, you could place all of the herbs into a jar, stuff the plants inside and pour in the vinegar. Be sure to cover all of the plant material inside. You’ll want this to infuse for 3-4 weeks to extract the properties of the plants into the vinegar.

FOUR THIEVES ROOM SPRAY

Ingredients

• Eucalptus sprigs
• Rosemary sprigs
• Cinnamon bark
• 1 lemon, sliced in half
• Cloves

Directions

1. Make a hydrosol with the fresh plant ingredients (optional).
2. Pour the hydrosol into a glass bottle about 1/4 of the way.
3. Top off with distilled white vinegar.
4. Place herb sprigs in the bottle for extra infusion and decoration (optional).
5. Replace the bottle cap with a spray bottle top instead.
6. Enjoy!