The Story of Marseille's Remedy

The Folklore

In 1413, as the bubonic plague decimated France, thieves were arrested for robbing those who had perished and the gravely ill plague victims - a crime punishable by burning alive. The judge offered them leniency for their terrible crimes if they would share the secret which enabled them to expose themselves to the plague without contracting it. The thieves explained that they were perfume makers and spice merchants who were unemployed due to the closure of France's sea ports. They had prepared a special herbal infusion which they applied to their hands, ears, feet, masks, and temples and this protected them from infection. Plague doctors then began to wear beak-like masks stuffed with absorbent material soaked in the Thieves' blend to protect them from disease.

The Thieves' original blend, containing vinegar and garlic, was known primarily as Vinaigre de Marseille. This formula was marketed by medical suppliers as the first line of defence for hundreds of years and has been a staple placed in the pages of forgotten history. Marseille's Remedy is the most traditional, concentrated form of the original recipe and is approved by Health Canada.