How does Shuster balm differ from ordinary vitamin syrups, and why does it contain so many different plants?

Most vitamin syrups are built around one or two components — for example, rose hips or ascorbic acid. Shuster balm is different: its formula combines three functional blocks of plants that work in different directions.

Berries and fruits — rose hips, blackcurrant, rowan — provide natural antioxidants: bioflavonoids, anthocyanins, organic acids and vitamin C. These compounds help protect cells from oxidative stress, which often accompanies chronic fatigue and a hectic pace of life.

Adaptogens — leuzea and rhodiola rosea — are traditionally included in formulas intended for periods of heavy strain. They are believed to help the body cope more easily with physical and mental strain and to recover faster.

Hawthorn has a place of its own: its flavonoids are traditionally associated with supporting vascular tone, which fits the product's name "for the heart and blood vessels".

Herbs and leaves — wild thyme, horsetail, lingonberry leaves, and also dandelion and bergenia roots — round out the flavour profile and make the extract richer.

The water base of the extract allows the soluble compounds from all these plants to mix easily with tea, water or another drink. That is why the balm is better seen not as a syrup with a single active ingredient but as a concentrate of a plant complex for taking in courses.