Brenda Nolen

Four Thieves Vinegar

4 Thieves is named after 4 thieves that robbed people during the plague and never got it, they got immunity for revealing their secret. I have seen all kinds of different recipes for it and mine is usually somewhat like this. ( I rarely use recipes).

* Handful of lavender buds
* Handful of wormwood
* Some thyme
* Rosemary
* Sage
* A bit of rue
* Several cloves of garlic
* Cider vinegar

I use a gallon jar for this concoction but do not fill it all the way up, just use one of those regular cider bottles, think it’s a 32oz bottle.

Soak all for 2 weeks, strain and use spray bottles to douse yourself with it when going outside or clean with it.

C-M

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Legend has it that there were Four Thieves who would go in a loot home etc during the plague as people passed on or lay dying, but did not get ill themselves…..once caught they agreed to hand over the herbal formula that protected them in order to have their own lives spared from hanging or the like…

One version is:

* 2 quarts apple cider vinegar
* 2 tablespoons lavender
* 2 tablespoons rosemary
* 2 tablespoons sage
* 2 tablespoons wormwood
* 2 tablespoons rue
* 2 tablespoons mint
* 2 tablespoons garlic

Combine the dried herbs except the garlic which should be fresh and steep in the vinegar in the sun for two weeks. Strain and re-bottle. Add several cloves of garlic. Close lid. When garlic has steeped for several days, strain out…melt paraffin wax around the lid to preserve the contents.

The thieves drank and washed with the solution every few hrs as they were on there merry tirade.

Linda M.