It has taken me a long time to change my habits when it comes to caring for my body when I am under the weather. If I am being completely honest, it used to be about how much over-the-counter stuff I can throwback in order to keep going without resting. I know, horrible. There is a reason I have dealt with burnout so many times in the past. The past three to four years have been about unlearning and re-learning a lot. And one of those areas is how to approach being sick properly and in a more healthy way. This includes slowing down and allowing my body to rest as it needs to. I now approach being sick with a more primitive strategy to begin with and then enlist the help of modern medicine when it is actually needed, not as a first step. I utilize tools that have been around forever and have learned so much in the area of teas and tinctures. And because our house just worked through a bit of sickness last month and it’s fresh on my mind, I wanted to make sure and share a Thieves tea recipe for under the weather days.

What is Thieves?

Thieves® is a blend of several essential oils that are known for their immune-supporting properties. Spices such as cinnamon bark and clove. It also includes lemon, eucalyptus, and rosemary. The Thieves® blend is also utilized in the Thieves line by Young Living – things like a household cleaner, laundry soap, cough drops, toothpaste, and more. If you have experienced anything formulated with Thieves® essential oil in your home, you get the hype. The stuff gets the job done. So when we are sick or under the weather, it’s the very first thing I turn to whether it’s through diffusing, wipes to clean surfaces, and of course, even added to a tea.

As far as the history of this blend and where it came from, that is quite interesting. The blend was created from information contained in archives found in the British Museum Library. There were a group of spice traders in the 14th century that would rub a blend of oils on themselves to protect from the plague as they robbed the dead and dying. Whether it is entirely true or not, who knows. For myself, however, I have been grateful for how much of an immune-boosting powerhouse it is.

Now let me get to the recipe…

Thieves wellness tea recipe

None of this is measured and all by personal preference. If you don’t like a strong lemon taste, then you might want to add more honey. And if you are worried about the potency of Thieves, you might want to stick with a single drop. Here is the Thieves wellness tea recipe and how I prepare it:

• boil water (enough for 1 mug)
• I then add a serving of manuka honey. You could add a 1/2 tablespoon or so of raw honey, but I have loved these single-serve manuka honey packets by Wedderspoon the best.
• Then it’s about a 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• I use a garlic press on my fresh ginger root to add about a teaspoon of ginger
• Finishing it off, I drop in 2-3 drops of Thieves vitality essential oil (Thieves oil does have a bit of a kick to it – wink!)

Sip and enjoy!

A note about using essential oils

While the Thieves® blend is exclusive to Young Living, there are many brands of essential oils to choose from if you are brand new to them. However, when it comes to applying oils on the skin as well as ingesting, I cannot speak to other brands out there because I use Young Living oils exclusively. And because of their Seed to Seal promise, I feel comfortable utilizing them in more ways than just diffusing. No matter what though, please make sure you are purchasing essential oils from a company whose focus is ethical sourcing. I would never want you to purchase oils from Amazon or Target and ingest them thinking they are safe. Store-bought oils are full of additives and synthetic fragrances. Just my little disclaimer I like to mention every now and then – wink!

And if you happen to be looking for more options and tools to have on hand for the next time you are down for the count, I have all of my winter wellness favorites and what our family uses shared here.

Are you a tea and tincture user and drinker? What natural options have you found to help when under the weather?