Original Valor
The original Valor formula — black spruce, blue tansy, frankincense, and rosewood — before rosewood was replaced in later batches.
How to use it
3-5 drops for a warm, grounding atmosphere.
Dilute before applying to the wrists, chest, or back of the neck.
In this blend
Black spruce, blue tansy, frankincense, and rosewood in the original formula.
What it’s designed for
Original Valor refers to the earlier formulation of Young Living’s well-known Valor blend, which combined black spruce, blue tansy, frankincense, and rosewood into one of the company’s most recognizable grounding blends.
The oils in it
- Black spruce — provides the grounding, woodsy backbone of the blend.
- Blue tansy — a deep blue oil that adds a sweet, herbaceous note (and the blue tint of the blend).
- Frankincense — adds a resinous, grounding depth.
- Rosewood — the floral-woody note present in the original formula.
Why the formula changed
Rosewood was later replaced with geranium in the current Valor formula. The shift largely tracks a broader, industry-wide sustainability concern: Aniba rosaeodora, the Amazonian tree rosewood oil comes from, was historically harvested by felling whole mature trees for their wood, putting real pressure on wild populations across the rainforest. As awareness of that impact grew, many producers — Young Living included — moved away from rosewood, which is why “Original Valor” and current Valor are now understood as related but distinct products. See our Valor entry for the current formula.
Aroma
Woody and resinous from the spruce and frankincense, with blue tansy’s sweet herbaceousness and rosewood’s soft floral edge rounding out the blend — a touch sweeter than the geranium-based current version.
When and how people use it
In the diffuser: 3–5 drops for a centering, grounding atmosphere, much like current Valor.
On skin: dilute before applying to the wrists, chest, or back of the neck.
Sourcing note
Because rosewood sourcing has shifted industry-wide, confirm which formula you’re buying — old stock, reissued batches, and the current Valor are not identical products.