Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) belongs to the Elaeagnaceae family and is a plant that can reach 5 meters in height.

It grows in Europe and Asia in dry, arid soils and needs a lot of sunshine. It blooms in small orange berries in April.

What it is used for and where

From its leaves and berries is extracted chloroform and n-hexane, components with intense antibacterial activity (1).

It is a rich source of vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, organic acids, amino acids, sterols, triterpenols and isoprenols (2) with an antioxidant activity.

The berries produce an oil containing carotenoids, palmitic, palmitolic and oleic acid, while the seed oil is composed of linoleic, linolenic and oleic acid as main components (3) .

This oil has traditionally been used to improve blood circulation and for the treatment of dermatological problems including wounds, gastritis, peptic ulcers, uterine erosion and inflammatory disorders of the genital organs (4).

Sea buckthorn has significant cardioprotective activity and a positive effects on the healing of the cardiovascular system, including inhibition of platelet activation (in particular platelet aggregation), reduction of cholesterol concentration, blood pressure and antioxidant action (5).

In this study, a positive evaluation of the topical effects on atopic lesions as it improved the severity of dermatitis by reducing epidermal thickness (6).

The results of this study on the extract of Sea buckthorn, provide a basis for affordable, low side-effect therapy for the treatment of psoriasis (7).

Cosmetics

It produces a regenerating effect on the skin produced by carotenoids, vitamin E and unsaturated fats contained in the pulp and seeds.

Other applications

It is placed in foods, candies, to give a particular taste.

Sea buckthorn studies

References_______________________________________________________________________

(1) Report - Antibacterial activity of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Qadir MI, Abbas K, Younus A, Shaikh RS.

(2) Yang B, Kallio H. Supercritical CO2-extracted sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) oils as new food ingredients for cardiovascular health. In: Proceedings of Health Ingredients of Europe, Paris; 2002, p. 17–19.

(3) Süleyman, Z., Erdemoğlu, N., Küsmenoğlu, Ş., Gürbüz, İ., Yesilada, E., and Çalış, İ. Fatty acid composition and anti-ulcerogenic activity of Hippophae rhamnoides fruit oil. J Fac Pharm Gazi Univ. 1998; 15: 11–17

(4) Li, T.S.C. and Wang, L.C.H. Physiological components and health effects of ginseng, echinacea and sea buckthorn. in: G. Mazza (Ed.) Functional foods, biochemical and processing aspects. Technomic Publishing Company, Lancaster, PA; 1998: 329–356

(5) Sea buckthorn as a source of important bioactive compounds in cardiovascular diseases.
Olas B.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2016 Nov;97:199-204. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2016.09.008. Epub 2016 Sep 9. Review.

(6) Sea Buckthorn (Hippophaë rhamnoides L.) Oil Improves Atopic Dermatitis-Like Skin Lesions via Inhibition of NF-κB and STAT1 Activation.
Hou DD, Di ZH, Qi RQ, Wang HX, Zheng S, Hong YX, Guo H, Chen HD, Gao XH.
Skin Pharmacol Physiol. 2017 Sep 6;30(5):268-276. doi: 10.1159/000479528

(7) Sea buckthorn extract in the treatment of psoriasis.
Boca AN, Ilies RF, Saccomanno J, Pop R, Vesa S, Tataru AD, Buzoianu AD.
Exp Ther Med. 2019 Feb;17(2):1020-1023. doi: 10.3892/etm.2018.6983