In the early 1940s, World War II was raging, and the people of England were bracing themselves for the worst. Amid the chaos and fear, one young woman named Marguerite Maury was quietly working in her small Parisian laboratory, surrounded not by weapons or blueprints for war but by plants—hundreds of them. Marguerite was a biochemist and an avid believer in the power of natural remedies. But her fascination wasn’t merely scientific—it was personal. She had suffered from chronic illness as a child and found solace in the aromatic compounds of flowers and herbs.

Marguerite’s life took a turn when she came across the work of René-Maurice Gattefossé, a French chemist whose accidental discovery of lavender’s healing properties changed the course of modern aromatherapy. Gattefossé had burned his hand during an experiment and instinctively plunged it into a container of lavender oil. To his astonishment, the burn healed quickly, with little scarring. Inspired, Marguerite began to explore the healing potential of other plants, diving deeper into the study of essential oils.

Her research led her to a plant that, at first glance, seemed utterly unremarkable. It grew wild in the sun-soaked fields of Morocco, its yellow blossoms swaying gently in the Mediterranean breeze. Local farmers harvested it for its traditional uses, but Marguerite suspected the plant was capable of far more. She obtained a small sample of its oil and began her experiments. What she discovered would change her life—and the lives of countless others.

The oil was unlike anything Marguerite had ever encountered. Its color was a striking indigo blue, almost otherworldly. Marguerite learned that this unique hue came from a compound called chamazulene, which was only formed during the distillation process. But it wasn’t just the color that intrigued her—it was the oil’s effects. It seemed to calm irritated skin, ease tension, and lift the spirits in ways she had never seen before.

Marguerite decided to test the oil on herself. At the time, she was battling stress and fatigue from long days in her lab. She placed a single drop in a bowl of steaming water, inhaling deeply. The rich, herbaceous aroma filled her senses, and almost immediately, she felt a sense of calm and focus. Over the next few months, she shared the oil with friends and colleagues, documenting its effects on everything from blemishes to sore muscles.

Her breakthrough came when she presented her findings to a group of biochemists in Paris. They were skeptical at first, dismissing her work as nothing more than folk medicine. But Marguerite was undeterred. She had seen the results firsthand—she knew the oil was a gift, not just for healing the body but for restoring the soul. Eventually, her persistence paid off, and the scientific community began to take notice.

By the 1950s, Marguerite Maury had become a pioneer in aromatherapy, and her work with this mysterious blue oil had earned her international recognition. She introduced the concept of using essential oils not just for their physical benefits but for their emotional and psychological effects—a radical idea at the time. Her discoveries paved the way for modern holistic medicine, changing how people viewed the connection between plants and healing.

And the plant that started it all? The humble blue tansy, also known as Moroccan tansy. Today, it’s cherished for its skin-soothing properties, its ability to uplift the mood, and its role in Marguerite Maury’s groundbreaking legacy.

And now you know the rest of the story.