What is a Shrub?

Many people are changing the way they eat and drink. Fast food is no longer a healthy quick fix and more households are becoming vigilant for trigger words such as “organic” and “all-natural.” With consumer’s minds becoming more aware, this leads people like the founders of Element Shrub to provide us with a healthy, all natural, apple cider vinegar shrub that is made from pure ingredients and offers a multitude of health benefits.

If you do not know what a shrub is, I was right there with you. Shrubs actually date back to the Romans and Babylonians as a way to preserve fruit harvested throughout the summer using vinegar. The word “shrub” is derived from the Arabic word “sharbah,” which means “drink.” In order to make a shrub you need equal parts vinegar, sugar, and fruit. You can make it yourself, but why go through that hassle when Element Shrub has done it for you! Even though shrubs have been around since the 15th century, the health benefits are still apparent today. Apple cider vinegar has been proven to improve digestion, lower blood sugar levels, improve insulin sensitivity, reduce belly fat, lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

Element Shrub came to be by a husband and wife duo. When Angela was pregnant, her and her husband used their knowledge and fruit from their neighborhood to try to make a safe, sophisticated drink that she was craving. As their story states on their website, they harvested 400 crabapples and were looking at recipes for their bounty and came across the concept of “shrubs.” They took their new knowledge to create a product with wonderful acidity, while the fruit, hint of sugar + herbs and spices create a flavor profile that is tart, savory and complex.

Element Shrub offers a multitude of delicious and healthy flavors all with organic apple cider vinegar, whole/fresh (non-GMO) fruit, organic herbs + spices, and a touch of organic cane sugar (from a family run business just like theirs). Even though they started the company based on creating a non-alcoholic drink, their shrubs are incredibly versatile as well-crafted cocktail mixers as well as a tool to add a ton of flavor to salads, marinades, and other culinary creations. Check out their website for food recipes.

 

Citations:

https://www.elementshrub.com/pages/our-story

https://www.ice.edu/blog/what-shrub-drinking-vinegar