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Legend of the Four Thieves

2/26/2013

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So what is the Legend of the Four Thieves? It seems there are many variations on this particular legend. It begins during the Middle Ages, also known as the Dark Ages, when little was understood when it came to medical issues. There was this nasty plague that continued to surface over many years but peaking in the mid 1300's. The plague had several names including the Bubonic Plague, The Black Death and the Great Pestilence.

It was thought that the plague came over from China on merchant ships or the Silk Road via fleas who hitched rides on rats. Add in the Dark Ages lack of cleanliness it is no wonder that a plague could take on such enormous proportions. There is modern research that suggest any number of infectious diseases could have caused these plagues including anthrax and ebola types. Regardless of what caused the rampant plagues in Europe during the 1300's it had an awful outcome. The plague infected lungs, caused boils to erupt in the groin and under the armpits, resulting in fever and vomiting with skin that turned black, most often resulting in death.

But back to this particular legend... and there are a different versions!. In one such story there was a group of thieves who deemed it profitable as grave robbers to seek valuable items from the victims of the plague. In another version there were some theives whose sentence for their crimes was to bury the dead victims of the plague. Either way it seems these thieves came up with a vinegar and hebal cocoction that kept them from getting the dreadful Black Death. Most of these stories are centered in France. 

There is another version that has nothing to do with any thieves. A man named Richard Forthave created a popular vinegar and herbal concoction that was called "Forthave's Vinegar" and later was known as "Four Thieves", a corruption of his name. 

So what is this Four Thieves concoction exactly? I found that there was more than one variation to this recipe. Specifically it was reputed to prevent the catching of the dreaded Black Death though there are similiar versions that date back to the time of Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician.

One early recipe calls for a number of herbs including wormwood, meadowsweet, wild marjoram, sage, cloves, campanula roots, angelic, rosemary and horehound along with a hefty measure of camphor to be steeped in white wine vinegar for two weeks, strained and then bottled. The instructions were to rub on the hands, ears and temples when approaching a plague victim. Another similar recipe used rosemary, sage and lavender flowers, rue, camphor,  garlic, and distilled wine vinegar. Although the recipes may have varied they all had the same purpose to prevent the plague. 

Modern versions of Four Thieves Vinegars typically includes sage, lavender, thyme, rosemary, and garlic with the possible additions of rue, mint and wormwood. Traditionally, four herbs would be in a recipe with one for each of the four thieves, but most of the modern version tend to carry more than four possibilities. Eucalyptus replaces the camphor as it would not have even been available in the 1300's as it comes from Australia. Lemon, clove and cinnamon have also been added to the list of herbs.

Today we know that some of these herbs do indeed carry some chemical compounds that work as antivirals, antibiotics, antiparasitics, antifungals and even antiseptics. It is not in my realm of understanding to begin to break these herbs down into their components or validate their uses in any way. I will leave that to those who study herbal benefits.

Somewhere along the road the Four Thieves herbs were incorporated into essential oil remedies (again not my line of work). You can do your own simple google search to see how many companies are selling versions of a Four Thieves essential oil blend.  

Even soapers are now making their own versions of Four Thieves soap. Can I say that there is any real benefit to using a Four Thieves soap. Nope! It is a wash off product remember. So why then did I make my own version of Four Thieves soap? It smells good! Plain and simple. 

Ingredients found in A Touch of Eden's Four Thieves Soap: olive oil, coconut oil, sustainable organic palm oil, castor oil, shea butter, palm kernal oil, with quality essential oils of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary.


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What is Neem Oil?

2/25/2013

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Neem oil comes from the fruits and seeds of Azadirachta indica, an evergreen tree that is native to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and is found in Iran. It is a fast growing tree and can read 65 feet. The leaves have long been used in their native areas in baths for those suffering with skin issues, it has been used as a natural pesticide, in medicinal products as well as woven into garlands for festivals. It is a one of the few trees that can withstand drought and provide shade in heat.

The oil can be cold pressed from the fruits or seeds which is a more costly than to extract the oil via the solvent Hexane. Using a solvent results in lower quality oil, and possibly may contain some of the solvent. Soap manufacturing most generally uses a solvent extracted oil due to the lower cost  of production. Most handcrafted soapers prefer to use the higher quality, cold pressed neem oil. The oil is a brown-green and can solidify and need to be warmed up to liquefy. 

Neem oil has been used for centuries in India especially in Ayurvedic traditional medicines. It is said to aid in the healing of several skin issues. Some research has confirmed that Neem seed oil is non-toxic to  mammals and may effective as an antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral agent. A limited amount of Neem oil will go a long way, with about 5% being used in most bar soaps. It is often mixed with clays for facial soaps to treat acne or other skin problems. Neem oil is strong smelling with a hint of garlic or onions. It is not a pleasant odor! Many soaps with also incorporate essential oils to help mask the odor, but thankfully, soap is a wash off product! 

Neem oil is also used in a variety of dog shampoo products to help with skin problems and to repel insects. Neem can be found in cat shampoo products as well. As a reminder, most dog shampoo products cannot be used on a cat. Cats are much more senstive to certain ingredients, especially any product containing essential oils, and some of these could actually be toxic to your cat.
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February: Time for Valentine's Day

2/3/2013

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A Touch of Eden traveled to Clio, MI to participate in the Pre-Valentine's Day Stop and Shop, hosted by the owner of Classy Cakes and Bakes. This was the first time Dawn organized this event and she did a very nice job getting the word out.

We had a good day. It is alway fun to introduce people to our homemade artisan soaps. And of course we love to see returning customers! The day was perfect for visiting. Many thanks go to my oldest daughter for driving and helping cart tables and boxes and for spending the day with me.

I wondered about the orgin of Valentine's Day. It appears to have begun when Christans decided to do something during a pagan festival called Lupercalia, which was in February. There have been at least three men matryred by the Catholic Church with the name of Valentine (or form of the name), hence the saint with the name of St. Valentine. For more info about the history of Valentine's Day check out the History Channel link at http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day

Today this holiday ranks second after Christmas for sending greeting cards. Did you know that teachers receive the most Valentine's Day cards? Chocolate, flowers and jewelry are also big items that sell well of course. I can attest first hand about how many flowers get sent out during this holiday after working 40 plus hours in high school at a local florist.

If you are looking for a unique gift for this year to send to your special person check out our website or Facebook pages. We have heart shaped soaps as well as a couple new bars with body safe glitter!

Happy Valentine's Day!

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
- Elizabeth Barrett Browning
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    Owner of A Touch of Eden, LLC, the hands behind our handcrafted artisan soaps!

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