Toxic mold is a serious concern to many homeowners and allergy sufferers. Mold spores worsen most respiratory and other health symptoms, and toxic mold from certain species can infest buildings, causing anything from headaches and sinus trouble to memory loss and death. One natural approach outshines medical and industrial cleaners at removing toxic mold: a blend of essential oils known as "Thieves," containing the oils of cinnamon, clove, rosemary, lemon and eucalyptus.
Bleach, Hospital Detergents, Industrial Cleaners Don't Work on Toxic Mold
In the past, even the EPA suggested washing areas with bleach to kill mold. It is now known that this doesn't work: the EPA and the American Industrial Hygiene Association do not recommend using common chemicals to kill toxic mold.
The only effective way to fight toxic mold, according to most experts, is to remove all materials covered in mold growth and rebuild the house – expensive renovations that can require replacing entire walls of buildings – and keep moisture levels in homes low.
Why is Mold a Major Health Concern?
Mold is an allergen for many people, contributing to allergies, runny nose and other sinus problems, and headaches. But certain kinds of mold produce toxins that are dangerous for almost everyone. Some of the symptoms linked to household exposure to these molds include:
- allergies, asthma, sore throats, colds, sinusitis
- cancer
- dandruff
- hives, itching and dermatitis
- fatigue
- memory and learning problems
- vision problems
- headaches
- hair loss
- hives
- verbal disfunction
- vertigo, tremors
- diarrhea
- central nervous disfunction
- seizures
- vomiting
- kidney failure
- death
Read more about Toxic Mold.
What is Thieves Blend?
"Thieves" is a blend of the essential oils of clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemon and rosemary, based on the spices and aromatic oils used by thieves in 15th-century Marseilles during the Bubonic plague to keep from contracting the disease from the dead bodies they robbed.
Several varients of the recipe were recorded in the British archives after the French monarchy managed to catch some of the thieves, where it was rediscovered by D. Gary Young.
The blend contains antibacterial and antiviral oils known to support immune health and fight pathogens like bacteria and fungi. Thieves is made from therapeutic-grade oils, and is safe to inhale or to use internally or directly on skin (although it is a "hot" oil and should be used cautiously on sensitive skin).
It has been scientifically tested to kill 99.96% of certain airborne bacteria, and is proving to be one of the few treatments effective at killing toxic mold.
Thieves Oil versus Toxic Mold
Dr. Edward Close has been called in on several cases where households were quarantined for toxic mold that had not responded to bleach, hospital cleansers, or industrial strength chemicals.
When these homes were treated for 24 to 48 hours with Thieves blend, tests found low levels of mold spores (a fraction of what had been present) and these levels continue to drop to virtually nothing in the next few weeks.
This is almost unheard of in a mold treatment – molds usually begin to grow as soon as bleach and other chemicals are removed. What's more, Thieves is good for the immune system, unlike bleach and other chemicals which are toxic themselves. It may be used preventatively and to treat mold-related symptoms.
The mold was treated with Thieves using a cold-air essential oil diffuser which does not damage the antifungal properties of the oils.
Reference: "Toxic Mold – A Breakthrough Discovery" DVD of lecture by Edward R. Close, Ph.D., EJC, 2006.
Victoria Anisman-Reiner - Victoria Anisman-Reiner is a freelance writer with extensive experience in holistic health care and animal training.
Join the Conversation