Cassia is one of the oldest spices known to mankind. It was used as a mouthwash and to perfume the hair, and also used in cooking—since it’s similar in taste and smell to cinnamon. People didn’t wash their clothes or hair frequently, so applying cassia served a practical purpose. In Ezekiel 27:18–19 we learn that Cassia oil was also used in trade.
It came to Europe by Arabian and Phoenician traders and the buds were known in Europe by the Middle Ages. 
The dried flowers of cinnamon were popular among the Israelites.  It was an ingredient, along with myrrh and cinnamon bark, in the preparation of the holy anointing oil (Exodus 30:24); “Take the finest spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of CASSIA— all according to the sanctuary shekel— and a hin of olive oil. Prepare from these a holy anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer; it will be a holy anointing oil.… (Exodus 30:23-25)

Twice as much cassia had to be used as cinnamon.  These dried flowers also served as a perfume, together with myrrh and aloes according to Psalms 45:8.  Cassia was among the trade wares of Tyre as mentioned in Ezekiel 27:19. The name of Job’s second daughter found in Job 42:14 may indicate that the fragrance was highly valued.
Cassia is antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and an anticoagulant. It's mentioned in Ex. 30:24; Ezekiel 27:19; Psalm 45:8. We can also see how Cassia is a picture of prayer:

Cassia is “qiddah” in Hebrew. It's a bark folded into shriveled rolls, (Strongs: 6916. qiddah) The Hebrew word comes from the root word (Strongs: 6915 qadad) which means to shrivel up, or bend the body or neck, to bow (down) (the) head, stoop. 
The word here presents a picture of bowing in submission, surrender and prayer. BOTH Cassia, as one of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil, AND our prayers are described as incense.

Cassia in Hebrew means to bow down the head. The word here presents a picture of surrender and prayer. Both Cassia, as one of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil, and our prayers are described as incense.
”…The twenty four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”  (Revelation 5:8)
“Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” (Psalm 141:2)
Cassia--a picture of bowing the head in prayer. Is it any wonder that it's also a cardiovascular oil? (It's good for the heart)  Think of this the next time you use your cassia oil! 
​
More information on cassia and its biblical roots and uses are found in video #4 Oils of the Bible Online Course https://oilsofthebibleonline.com/oils © Rachel Lee Carter

Beauty rituals and the use of oils have an ancient past, practiced for thousands of years by queens and women of prominence. Egyptians, including the legendary Cleopatra, were passionate about skin care and were considered highly accomplished in specialized beauty treatments. The Biblical queen Esther enjoyed 12 months of beauty treatments in preparation for her crown. The Queen of Sheba, first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, came to Jerusalem bearing a great abundance of spices, including frankincense (I Kings 10:2, 10; II Chron. 9:1–9, Isaiah 60:6) as a gift to King Solomon. From the Orient to the Romans, to the Middle East, ancient oils were known to improve skin appearance, tone and texture.

Oils definitely have made their (beauty) mark on history, and we can recreate some amazing skin care products simply by using our essential oils and combining them with other effective, natural ingredients. 

One such ingredient is raw honey. Raw honey is exactly what it sounds like – honey that is raw, unprocessed, unpasteurized, and straight from the beehive. It’s incredible for skin thanks to its antibacterial properties and hefty serving of skin-saving antioxidants.

Scars and Acne:
It has been used for scars and acne as a treatment, and for prevention. It’s also a beneficial ingredient for those prone to redness. 

Anti-Aging and Moisturizing:
Because it’s full of antioxidants, it is great for slowing down the aging process. And w
e can use honey as a Complexion boost due to its deeply moisturizing and soothing benefits.

Clarifying:
It’s also clarifying, which means it opens up pores making them easy to unclog. It’s a gentle exfoliator which is useful in ridding the top layer of dead skin cells.

Who used honey?
*The Queen of Egypt in the 14th century BC, Nefertiti commonly used honey in her beauty treatments. Her name means “the beautiful one has come.”
*Cleopatra used honey in her daily beauty rituals to keep her skin smooth and firm. She also added honey to her milk baths.
*Hippocrates the great Greek scientist used honey for baldness, and for the prevention and treatment of scars.
*In the early 18th century, Queen Anne used a secret honey and oil recipe to keep her hair thick and shiny.
*And in Ming Dynasty China, women in the Emperor’s Court used a blend of honey and ground orange seeds to keep their skin fresh and blemish-free.

Raw honey...another God-made gift! Use your oils in combination with honey and other natural ingredients for beautifying remedies that have stood the test of time! 

This information is from video #8, Ancient Beauty Secrets in the Oils of the Bible Online Course, and the Ancient Beauty Secrets Recipes handout. https://oilsofthebibleonline.com/oils

Have you ever felt anxious? I mean the overwhelming kind that makes you feel on edge, like you're creeping through a haunted house just waiting for someone to jump out at you? The kind that makes you feel like your heart is going to pound out of your chest—for no reason at all? I sometimes feel like that. 

I’m thankful for essential oils that can calm the nervous system.

Jesus had an oil or oil mixture applied to Him at the most stressful, anxious, dreadful time in His life. He was about to encounter the cross. He knew it was coming. It’s what He was born for. But it didn’t change the human feelings that came with the foresight of what He would soon face. 

Mary wouldn’t have known, but His Father knew. Could this be why God prepared Mary of Bethany to anoint the feet of Jesus in Bethany? The oil most likely would have been rich in linalool, a monoterpene alcohol whose chemistry is sedating, anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety. It’s found in lavender (also interpreted as spikenard or spike-lavender), petitgrain, ylang ylang…all sedating oils. 

Mary was preparing Jesus’ body six days before the inevitable anxiety that would come. Hematohidrosis is a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress. The Gospel writer and physician Luke wrote how Jesus experienced this in the garden of Gethsemane the night of His arrest, “and being in anguish He prayed more earnestly and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.” (Luke 22:44)

The next day, seven days after His anointing by Mary, Jesus would be subjected to the incredible torture of the crucifixion. The number seven of course represents completion and perfection--and it's never a coincidence.

God was preparing His body by means of sedating anointing oil from the hands of Mary. Without my current understanding of essential oils that support anxiety and stress, and my own experience with the haunted-house feeling, I’m not sure I could appreciate this inside look into those moments in Bethany and the garden. 

I’m fascinated with the prophetic patterns I see throughout scripture, and it’s why the Oils of the Bible Online Course was born. Truly, this is just the beginning. I invite you to join me on this expedition that will expand your understanding and deepen your faith!

Click this link for a FREE introduction to the Oils of the Bible Online Course. Your understanding of oils in the bible will never be the same! https://oilsofthebibleonline.com/oils

We talk about Queen Esther and her beauty treatments of myrrh (in the handouts Ancient Beauty Secrets and Oils of the Bible) but what else can we glean from this brave woman who saved the Jewish people from annihilation? 

Here's her story: 
Hebraic Names had special and often prophetic meanings. (This is evidenced and explained in detail in the Oils of the Bible Online Course Video #2 “Text and Context”). 

A Jewess named Hadassah whose Hebrew name means “myrtle” had her name changed to “Esther” when she became Queen of Persia to the non-Hebrew King Xerxes. 

The Myrtle tree represents PROTECTION. There are numerous occurrences of this and are mentioned in video #9, “Additional Aromatics”. (Myrtle Oil can even be used as an insect repellant, protecting us from bugs!) But here, we can see one of those prophetic instances.... we see how a plant—in this case, the NAME of a plant--prophetically reveals a future event: 

When Haman, an Amalakite and chief minister to the King, saw that Mordecai, (a righteous Jew who raised Esther) would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. He wanted him dead, except not only Mordecai, but all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, who lived throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes. Haman’s goal was the genocide of the Jews. As a side note, God told King Saul to destroy the Amalekites centuries earlier (1 Samuel 15:3), but Saul failed to obey the command. His disobedience led to the loss of his kingdom and, eventually the threat of annihilation for all Jews.

Queen Esther’s famous plea to the King protected the Jewish people from genocide. Had it not been for Queen Esther, the Jews would have been destroyed at the hands of a jealous Haman. The story is recounted in the Old Testament Book of Esther. 

Did you see it? This woman, whose birth name was Hadassah, which means “myrtle,” and represents “protection” was used by God to protect the entire Jewish population from total extinction. 

“A good name is more desirable than great riches...” 
–Proverbs 22:1

No word, no instance, no circumstance in the Bible is there by accident. Our God is orderly, systematic and purposeful. Isn’t it encouraging that whatever we might be facing today—that it doesn’t catch our Lord by surprise? Rest in Him friend, your God—your defender and protector.

Find more in the Oils of the Bible Online Course: 
--> https://oilsofthebibleonline.com/oils

Psalm 23: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: ​

​my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
​and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."

All of this has led over the last 50 years to an expanding industry in synthetically produced "essential oils." These advancements in the field of chemistry have flooded the market with these low-cost imitation fragrances, which are today the basis of almost all perfumes, cosmetics and a rapidly growing number of synthetics passed off as "essential oils".
If the oil you're purchasing seems inexpensive for a rare or quality oil (less than $50 for frankincense) think twice about your purchase.
There are few companies who can boast what would be considered "biblical grade," "medical grade" oils, or certified pure, free of contaminates and synthetics which would have been the standard in ancient times. dōTERRA essential oils are certified pure therapeutic grade, and are undeniably among the purest most potent oils available on the planet. They are harvested in their indigenous environment producing the chemical constituency that can only be found at their original source

The Holy Spirit is often depicted as oil. One reference is in the Parable of the Ten Virgins found in Matthew 25.

Because of its abundance of well-known symbols, the Parable of the Ten Virgins is perhaps the easiest to understand in a prophetic light. The Bridegroom, of course, is Christ. Virgins are often symbols of individual Christians. Lamps are vessels that contain oil, a common symbol of God's Spirit, thus they represent salvation through Jesus. The wedding refers to the marriage of the Lamb to the church (Revelation 19:7). In these verses Jesus seems to be referring to the presence of the Holy Spirit. These virgins were waiting for the Bridegroom, which pictures Christ’s coming for His bride the church (also known as the rapture of the church) to which He is presently betrothed (or engaged) to. 
​
​Five were ready when the Bridegroom arrived and already had the oil in their lamps. But the other five, the foolish ones, were not prepared. They had to run out and buy some oil, but they were too late. They had procrastinated and failed to betroth themselves to Christ. When they came back, they said, “'‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour” (Matt 25:11b-13). Those who knew Christ, by having the Holy Spirit (oil) were prepared for His coming.

In the Bible, balsam is designated by various names: בֹּשֶׂם (bosem), בֶּשֶׂם (besem), צֳרִי (ẓori), נׇטׇף (nataf).
After having cast Joseph into a pit, his brothers noticed a caravan on its way from Gilead to Egypt, "with their camels bearing spicery, and balm, and myrrh" (Gen. 37:25). When Jacob dispatched his embassy into Egypt, his present to the unknown ruler included "a little balm" (Gen. 43:11).

Balsam is analgesic and anti-inflammatory which is why a soothing balm would be produced from it.
During the final years of the Kingdom of Judah, Jeremiah asks "Is there no balm in Gilead?" (Jer. 8:22). Still later, from an expression in Ezekiel 27:17, we find that balm was one of the commodities which Hebrew merchants carried to the market of Tyre. According to I Kgs. 10:10, balsam (Hebrew: bosem) was among the many precious gifts of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon. 
An easy analgesic and anti-inflammatory balm can be made with beeswax, shea butter, and anti-inflammatory and soothing essential oils.

Our exclusive recipe is available to our team members or HERE for purchase.  

BALM OF GILEAD DIY HANDOUT:
What are "resins" and why are they so therapeutic? This balm features oils that help promote healing and inflammation and is easy to make as a single recipe or in bulk for larger classes. 

Use this handout ($39.95 value) to turn ANY Oils of the Bible class into a DIY class by adding a Balm recipe we’re calling, Balm of Gilead, based on Jeremiah 8:22. This can be used as a stand alone class, a DIY class, as an incentive for hostesses to book a class, or as a loyalty incentive. 

Recipe contains therapeutic resinous oils--some which are mentioned in scripture. Take your class from an "Oil Basics" or "Essential Oils 101" to a scripture-focused class, simply by adding this DIY option. We recommend laminating multiple copies for yourself to use over and over again at your classes instead of costly tear pads. So what's the return on a $19.95 investment that you can use multiple times?

It will never expire! These are historical uses, so it's already old! It will never need to be updated. When you enroll one entry level enrollment kit from this download, it's already paid for itself. (Except you get to use the handouts again and again without any additional investment!) 

COPYRIGHTED INFORMATION--NOT TO BE FORWARDED, COPIED OR SHARED IN ANY WAY OUTSIDE OF YOUR OWN CLASSES.

Includes:

• Verses and background referencing Balm of Gilead
• Introduction to resins and why they're effective
• Specific resins and their benefits
• DIY balm using common traditional ingredients and essential oils
• Unbranded for use in essential oil classes

Use this soothing and analgesic balm for sore joints, muscles and scrapes. Get the Balm of Gilead Handout HERE.

(c) Leaves for Medicine LLC

Hieroglyphs on the walls of the Egyptian temples depict the blending of oils and describe hundreds of oil recipes. These ancient blending traditions date back thousands of years and are even mentioned in scripture. The first recorded blend in scripture is a recipe God gave to Moses for anointing the tabernacle and the tools found therein.
The holy anointing oil described in Exodus 30:22-25 was created from: Pure myrrh (מר דרור mar deror) 500 shekels (about 6 kg) Sweet cinnamon (קינמון בשם kinnemon besem) 250 shekels (about 3 kg) Kaneh bosem (קְנֵה-בֹשֶׂם kaneh bosm) 250 shekels (about 3 kg).