Since returning to America, I’ve been amazed by the essential oils craze.

Some essential oil enthusiasts remind me of televangelists. They preach a long sermon about the healing properties of essential oils, then smack you in the forehead with the palm of their hand. A palm covered with essential oil. But, maybe there is something to this new craze.

I decided to explore the essential oil market and found this description on the doTERRA website. “If you have ever enjoyed the scent of a rose, you’ve experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. These naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds are found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be both beautifully and powerfully fragrant.”

Naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds. Powerfully fragrant. Sounds familiar…..

During my years in Russia, I often made fun of their “natural” remedies. Garlic was my first “taste” of a Russian natural remedy. A naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compound.

“Russian penicillin” is the nickname for garlic. When flu season kicks in, everyone ups their garlic intake. For the best results, use raw garlic. You can eat a whole clove by itself, place it on a piece of bread, or chop it up and add it to your salad.

If you are a preschooler, your mother will create a necklace made with string, a small plastic egg with holes punched in it, and a clove of garlic. The first time I walked into a preschool during flu season, I wondered if there had been a vampire outbreak and I was the only one not protected by the Garlic Force.

Convinced this garlic obsession was nonsense, I decided to do some research. I discovered that raw garlic has antibacterial, antifungal, and even antiparasitic properties. If you rub raw garlic all over yourself, it will get rid of fleas and ticks. Of course, parasites aren’t the only ones who will flee from your garlicky presence.

Honey is another a popular remedy in Russia. I learned a novel use for honey at summer camp.

A group of Americans was helping with a children’s summer camp. Since most of the Americans couldn’t speak Russian, their assignments included fun jobs that required no language, like peeling potatoes. Amelia assisted the camp cook and made the mistake of complaining about a bad head cold. Before the afternoon was over, the cook put Amelia in a headlock and forced her to snort honey up her nose. The experience traumatized Amelia, who refused to be alone with the cook the rest of the week.  I wasn’t sure if the honey was to cure the cold or punishment for taking off too much potato along with the peel. Russians take their potato peeling very seriously.

The morning after the snorting incident, I inquired about Amelia’s health. She delightedly reported that she felt better and had slept like a log. The cook made her first American convert to honey snorting.

Again, I turned to the internet to learn more about honey. It turns out honey has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. Honey, a product formed by honeybees vomiting regurgitating nectar into a honeycomb, actually has healing properties. Studies have proven honey is an effective treatment for conjunctivitis (pink eye) in rats. I’m sure this cure thrills the rat population.

So, my essential oil friends, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Often there is some truth to these seemingly old-fashioned natural cures.

And if you ever meet a rat with conjunctivitis or fleas, I know a naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compound that will take care of it.

And it’s cheap.

What essential oil would you recommend I try first?