Dr.Theiss

Dr. Theiss Naturwaren is a German company, and its plant-based products have long been familiar to many families: lozenges for a scratchy throat, a syrup with plantain, a balm with comfrey, ivy drops sold as Gedelix, echinacea and a vitamin tonic called Gerovital. When people look for Dr. Theiss, they usually remember a particular box from their own family kit rather than a particular ingredient, and that is why one brand page covers products that are quite different from each other.

This page gathers the essentials about the range: what it includes and what unites it, what each product is used for according to its leaflet and whether it is a registered product or a dietary supplement, what is known about the comfrey balm, whether the products can be taken in the evening, and which products suit children of which age. On USA Apteka, the range currently includes the Gerovital Plus tonic and pastilles with sage extract and vitamin C, and the Angi Sept lozenges with lemon and with sage are temporarily out of stock.

What the Dr. Theiss range includes

The company's products fall into a few lines, and each line has its own form:

• pastilles and lozenges for the mouth and throat, such as Angi Sept and the pastilles with sage and vitamin C;
• syrups, the best known of which is the syrup with plantain;
• balms for the skin, above all the balm with comfrey;
• drops and extracts, including ivy drops and echinacea;
• tonics, such as Gerovital, a liquid with vitamins and plant extracts.

What unites them is the plant base. Sage, comfrey, plantain, ivy, echinacea and eucalyptus are familiar plants of European herbal tradition, and the company builds most of its products around them, often adding vitamins, menthol or essential oils. A shared brand does not mean a shared purpose, though: a lozenge, a syrup and a balm are used for very different things, and each comes with its own leaflet.

On USA Apteka, the following Dr. Theiss items are listed:

• Gerovital Plus, a 200 ml tonic;
• pastilles with sage extract and vitamin C, 24 per pack;
• Angi Sept lozenges with lemon, 24 per pack;
• Angi Sept lozenges with sage, 24 per pack and more.

The comfrey balm and the plantain syrup of this brand are not in the catalog at the moment. Before choosing any of these products for a long course, for a child or during pregnancy, it is worth checking with a doctor.

What Dr. Theiss products are used for, and which are registered products and which are supplements

The status of a Dr. Theiss product depends on the specific item and the country where it is registered, and it is always printed on the pack. Some items of the range are registered in Russia as products with an official leaflet, while others are sold as dietary supplements, which are regulated more loosely and are not meant to address any condition.

Angi Sept lozenges are registered in Russia, and their leaflet describes them for the mouth and throat when swallowing is painful. The lemon lozenges sold on USA Apteka contain dichlorobenzyl alcohol, a germ-fighting ingredient used in many throat lozenges, together with menthol, anethole and peppermint oil. According to the Russian leaflet, they are not given to children under 5, are not recommended with bleeding sores in the mouth or throat and, if taken anyway, are dissolved carefully, and they are not followed right away by food or drink.

The plantain syrup is also registered in Russia, for a heavy chest with thick phlegm that is hard to clear, as part of combined care. The leaflet does not allow it for children under 1 year, reminds people with diabetes that it contains sugar, and advises against taking it together with products that suppress the urge to clear the throat, because loosened phlegm then has nowhere to go.

The pastilles with sage extract and vitamin C are described on our website as a dietary supplement with sweeteners, for adults and children from 14 years. That description also warns that too many pastilles can have a laxative effect, that they contain a source of phenylalanine and that they are not recommended during pregnancy and breastfeeding. The US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health adds that common sage contains thujone, which can be harmful in large amounts or over long periods, and that sage may be unsafe during pregnancy.

Gerovital is a tonic with vitamins and plant extracts. According to its Russian leaflet, Gerovital is not taken during pregnancy or when the body already holds too much iron and is not given to children, while liver conditions, epilepsy and brain injuries call for caution. The Gerovital Plus on our website also lists hawthorn and motherwort extracts, so its label is worth reading carefully, especially for anyone who takes products for the heart or blood pressure. A doctor can say whether a tonic like this fits a person's situation.

Dr. Theiss comfrey balm: what it is for and where its limits are

Comfrey, also called knitbone, is a plant whose root has been used on bruises and strained muscles for centuries, and the Dr. Theiss balm with comfrey is one of the best-known products of the brand. The European Medicines Agency describes comfrey root products as traditional products for the relief of minor sprains and bruises. That is a cautious wording: it rests on long use rather than on strong studies.

The evidence itself is modest. A Cochrane review of herbal products for low back pain found one trial with 120 participants in which a comfrey extract balm worked better than a placebo balm for short-term pain relief, and the review rated that evidence as low quality. A 2013 review of earlier trials reported some benefit for ankle sprains, back pain, abrasions and osteoarthritis, but also called for more rigorous studies.

The limits matter more than the benefits. Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, substances that damage the liver when taken by mouth, and in 2001 the FDA advised companies to remove comfrey products meant for internal use from the market. On the skin, the risk is considered low for short periods, and the European monograph sets clear rules:

• for adults only, because use under 18 is not recommended;
• for no longer than 10 days;
• never on broken or irritated skin, and away from the eyes and mucous membranes;
• not during pregnancy and breastfeeding, because there is not enough data.

The Dr. Theiss comfrey balm is not in our catalog at the moment, and a comfrey cream of another manufacturer is sold on USA Apteka. The same rules apply to any comfrey product. A sprain that swells badly, a joint that cannot bear weight or pain that does not ease within a few days needs a doctor.

Can Dr. Theiss products be taken in the evening

None of the leaflets described above forbids taking the products at a particular time of day, and what matters is the daily amount, the interval between doses and the number of days, all of which are set in the leaflet of each product.

A few details are still useful for the evening. After an Angi Sept lozenge, the leaflet asks people not to eat or drink right away, so the last lozenge is better taken some time after dinner rather than right before a glass of tea. The plantain syrup loosens phlegm, and some people prefer to take the last dose of the day earlier in the evening so that they do not wake up to clear their chest at night. The leaflet of Gerovital asks for it to be taken before or during a meal, which makes a morning or midday meal the natural time. The comfrey balm can be applied in the evening, within the 10-day limit and only on intact skin.

If a heavy chest, a scratchy throat or a nagging urge to clear the throat keeps a person awake for more than 10 to 14 days, MedlinePlus advises seeing a doctor. It also advises calling 911 right away for shortness of breath, trouble breathing or a swollen face or throat with difficulty swallowing.

Dr. Theiss for children: what each leaflet allows

Age limits differ across the range, and they are easy to mix up:

• Angi Sept lozenges: according to the Russian leaflet, not for children under 5, and a child must be old enough to dissolve a lozenge slowly without the risk of choking;
• plantain syrup: from 1 year, in the amount the leaflet gives for each age;
• pastilles with sage extract and vitamin C: from 14 years, according to their description;
• Gerovital: not for children, according to its Russian leaflet;
• comfrey balm: the European monograph does not recommend it under 18.

For a child, any product from this list is best discussed with a pediatrician first, especially if the child has a high temperature, has trouble breathing or has been unwell for more than a few days.

Dr. Theiss products usually come out during a cold week, and in those days the three products below often turn up next to them.

• Furacilin comes as tablets or powder for making a solution that is used for gargling and for rinsing wounds, and the tablets are not swallowed. With a scratchy throat, many people gargle with furacilin and dissolve a lozenge some time later, so that the solution does not rinse it away. A throat that does not get better within a week, or comes with a high temperature, needs a doctor.
• Pentalgin is a combined pain reliever with paracetamol, naproxen, caffeine, drotaverine and pheniramine, kept for headache, toothache or aches during a cold. It is not combined with other products that contain paracetamol, and pheniramine can make a person sleepy. A lozenge for the throat and a Pentalgin tablet do different jobs, and if both are needed for more than a few days, it is time to see a doctor.
• No-Shpa contains drotaverine and is kept for cramps and spasms. Pentalgin already contains drotaverine, so the two are not taken together without a doctor's advice. Sharp or constant belly pain is not something to manage with tablets at home and needs a doctor.

The Dr. Theiss products themselves are there for a scratchy throat, a heavy chest or a bruise, each with its own leaflet, and they keep best in their original boxes, away from heat and out of children's reach.

What a family keeps at hand changes with the family itself: children are born, someone starts taking a heart product every day, and the kit changes with them. None of the products on this list replaces a doctor, and a cold that drags on is a reason to see one.

Where to find

The Dr. Theiss products listed on USA Apteka, the Gerovital Plus tonic and the pastilles with sage extract and vitamin C, can be ordered in their original German packaging, and the Angi Sept lozenges return to the catalog when they are back in stock. Delivery within the US, including Hawaii and Alaska, is free over $69, while orders to other countries ship at a paid rate regardless of the total. The care team answers questions about the products or stock in the chat on the website or on WhatsApp, and regular customers have a bonus program and seasonal sales.

Read the label of each product before use and keep it out of children's reach. For a child, during pregnancy or if the discomfort does not pass within a week, talk to a doctor.