As we all know, during ancient Biblical times, there were no antibiotics or other drugs. Essential oils were mankind’s first medicine. Written in Chinese manuscripts and Egyptian hieroglyphics, physicians have been using essential oils for thousands of years for embalming, cleansing of the body both physically and emotionally and for bathing purposes.

Essential oils are the volatile liquids distilled from plant parts such as bark, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, fruit and seeds. Producing the purest of oils can be very costly. It may require several hundred pounds or even several thousand pounds of plant material to extract one pound of a pure essential oil.

Today the vast majority of oils are being purchased and used in the perfume industry. But essential oils in a pure and therapeutic grade have many benefits:

* Essential oils are anti-bacterial, anti-cancerous, ant-fungal, anti-microbial, anti-infectious, anti-viral, anti-parasitic and antiseptic.

* Essential oils help transport nutrients to starting human cells

* Essential oils may detoxify the cell and blood in the body

* Essential oils have a bio-electrical frequency that is several times greater than the frequency of food, herbs and even the human body.

* Essential oils are the oxygenating, immune defense, and have regenerating properties of plants.

* Some essential oils are so small in molecular size that they can quickly penetrate the tissue of the skin.

* Essential oils are very powerful antioxidants that create an unfriendly environment for free radicals.

* Essential oils contain sesquiterpenes which pass the blood brain barrier. This enables them to be effective in alzheimers disease.

* Essential oils are aromatic and when diffused, provide air purification of metallic particles, toxins and odors, and inhibit bacterial growth.

There are 188 references to essential oils in the Bible. The 14 principal oils of the Bible are listed below in the order of the most frequently mentioned: Myrrh, Frankincense, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Cassia, Calamus, Galbanum, Onycha, Spikenard (nard), Hyssop, Myrtle, Sandalwood (aloes), Cypress and Rose of Sharon.

Frankincense and Myrrh are the best known essential oils in the Bible because they were gifts for the Baby Jesus from two of the Three Kings or Wise Men.

Frankincense has a sweet, warm, balsamic aroma that is stimulating and elevating to the mind. Useful for visualizing, improving one’s spiritual connection and centering, it has comforting properties that help focus the mind and overcomes stress and despair.

Frankincense is considered the holy anointing oil in the Middle East, where it has been used in religious ceremonies for thousand of years More recently it has been used in European and American hospitals and is the subject of substantial research.

Frankincense is also a valuable ingredient in skin care products for aging and dry skin. The ancient Egyptians used it in rejuvenation face masks.

Myrrh has a rich, smoky, balsamic aroma that is purifying, restorative, revitalizing and uplifting. It is a helpful aid to meditation, having one of the highest levels of sesquiterpenes available. Sesquiterpenes are a class of compounds that have a direct effect on the hypothalamus, pituitary and amygdala, the seat of our emotions.

Myrrh is referenced throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Arabian people believed it helped wrinkled, chapped and cracked skin. Today Myrrh is widely used in oral hygiene products.

(Definitions courtesy Young Living Essential Oils)

During Biblical times, essential oils were used for anointing. In Exodus, the Lord gave the following recipe to Moses for an anointing oil:

Myrrh?Approximately 1 gallon

Sweet Cinnamon?Approximately fi gallon

Sweet Calamus?Approximately fi gallon

Cassia?Approximately 1 gallon

Olive Oil?Approximately 1 1/3 gallons

Essential oils are the life-enhancing gifts from the plant kingdom revered for centuries for their restorative properties to mind, body and spirit. As we enter this most Holy Season, may we be mindful of the treasure of knowledge found in the Bible.

Daisy Villa is a local yoga teacher and an advocate for health, wellness and the environment. She believes each individual can have an impact on their own well-being and the future of our planet.