Legend of the Four Thieves: an essential oil story

Have you heard the Legend of the Four Thieves?

As the story goes, a group of thieves snuck into the homes of defenseless victims of the Black Death — all while retaining immunity and never falling sick themselves. As their crimes grew, so did their infamy as everyone wondered how these thieves protected themselves from disease (concepts of hygiene were little understood then). Only when the thieves were finally caught and threatened with execution, did they give up their secret.