Four Thieves Vinegar: Antiviral, Germicide

Vinegar has been used as a medicine for as far back as we have any recorded history. Vinegar infused and enhanced with a variety of herbs has an equally long history. One such concoction is the famous "Four Thieves Vinegar" that was used during black death epidemic of the medieval period to prevent or treat the catching of the bubonic plague (black death).

There are multiple versions of the background story of this specific herbal concoction. One version has a group of young thieves (four of them) stealing from homes of the plague victims without contracting the plague themselves. After being caught, they gave up the recipe in exchange for their lives.

Here is the recipe that was reported to have been posted on the walls of Marseille during this period.

"Take three pints of strong white wine vinegar, add a handful of each of wormwood, meadowsweet, wild marjoram and sage, fifty cloves, two ounces of campanula roots, two ounces of angelic, rosemary and horehound and three large measures of camphor. Place the mixture in a container for fifteen days, strain and express then bottle. Use by rubbing it on the hands, ears and temples from time to time when approaching a plague victim."(1)

There are a couple of theories of why this might have worked. One is that the herbs acted as a flea repellent. Fleas, carried by rats, were the carriers of the bacteria responsible for the black death. Another theory is that the concoction served as an effective antibiotic. The acid in the vinegar is an antiseptic. The herbs mentioned above also have antibiotic properties. (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9))10)(11)

It should be noted that many of the alternate versions of the recipe contain garlic. Garlic is a well known antimicrobial agent. (12)

Additional Resources

Folk Medicine A New England Almanac of Natural Health Care From a Noted Vermont Country Doctor (Amazon Link) This book explores the experiences of a rural New England doctor. He discusses the use of three primary modalities in the health of his patients and their livestock. The modalities are iodine (as Lugol's solution and sea weed), honey and apple cider vinegar. This now forgotten book was once a best seller and is a worthy read for anyone interested in health, folk medicine and self reliance.

Four Thieves Vinegar Books on Amazon Here are the books specifically on Four Thieves Vinegar listed on Amazon.

Books on Herbal Antibiotics on Amazon Here are several good books on Herbal Antibiotics listed on Amazon.

While you can find online sources of products calling themselves "four thieves vinegar", you should consider making your own. Making your own gives you control over the ingredients and the recipe formulation. Making your own also enables you to make it in practical quantities at a reasonable cost. The ingredient links below are shopping links on amazon. Apple cider vinegar and garlic can be found in any supermarket. A concoction containing only vinegar and garlic would have merit as an antiseptic and possibly as an antibiotic, although the dosage and effectiveness for specific conditions is completely undocumented. The ingredients listed below are from the recipe listed above.

• Wormwood
• Meadowsweet
• Marjoram
• Sage
• Campanula Root
• Angelic Root
• Rosemary
• Horehound
• Camphor

References

Anti-Aging Nutrition News

Life Extension Health Protocols

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