The berry, from a plant called the sea buckthorn, has been used for centuries in Asia and Europe as a medicinal product. Rich in antioxidant vitamins, healthy fatty acids and other nutrients, seabuckthorn berry is currently used in a range of products, from skin creams, dietary supplements, and edible oils.
   Seabuckthorn is a thorny shrub that grows 2 to 4 feet in height. The seabucktorn berry is about half a centimeter in diameter and turns bright orange as it ripens by September.

Benefit of seabuckthorn - Hippophae rhamnoides L., family Elaeagnaceae
Seabuckthorn herb has been used for skin conditions such as rosacea, eczema, and burns and it may also reduce inflammation.

Seabuckthorn for inflammation reduction
Sea buckthorn berries may reduce CRP, a marker of inflammation, and a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. C-reactive protein (CRP) is produced in the liver and is a known marker for inflammation. Increased levels of CRP are a good predictor for the onset of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Petra Larmo from the University of Turku recruited 233 healthy subjects and randomly assigned them to receive sea buckthorn or placebo product for 90 days. The daily berry dose was 28 g (frozen sea buckthorn berry puree). The daily dose contained 16 mg flavonol glycosides (the glycosides of isorhamnetin were the most abundant), 15 mg vitamin C, and 1 mg alpha-tocopherol. Calculated as aglycones the total daily amount of flavonols was about 8 mg. At the end of the study significant differences were observed between the groups. Supplementation with sea buckthorn was associated with a reduction in CRP. "Effects of sea buckthorn berries on infections and inflammation: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial" European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2007.

Seabuckthorn composition
Sea buckthorn berries has a high amount of vitamin C and E content, essential minerals and amino acids, carotenoid and phenolic pigments, phytosterols, and essential fatty acids.

Uses of Seabuckthorn
This herb can be used for juices, jellies, tea, and marmalades.

A New Extraction Process
A new way to process sea buckthorn berry has been found that maximizes its health potential. The juice from the sea buckthorn berry tends to be poor-quality. Dr. C. Arumughan of the Regional Research Laboratory in Trivandrum, India, have found a high-speed centrifuge process that allowed them to create a clear berry juice rich in vitamin C and a host of other antioxidants. The processing also yielded a fruit pulp "remarkably rich" in antioxidant carotenoids, vitamin E and plant sterols -- compounds that are structurally similar to cholesterol and have been found to lower blood cholesterol levels. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, October 2006.

History of the seabuckthorn botanical name
It is said that the Greeks gave seabuckthorn leaves to their horses and noticed the coats of the horses turned shiny. Thus, the botanical name of Hippophae. Hippo means horse and phaos means to shine.

Sea buckthorn questions
Q. I am currently taking a supplement called Thai-Go which is mangosteen juice. It also contains sea-buckthorn.
I am also taking Supercritical Omega-7 by New Chapter which has sea-buckthorn and is supposed to help alleviate vaginal dryness. Do these two products give me too much sea-buckthorn?
   A. There are no established values and safe levels of seabuckthorn, therefore it is difficult to give any such advice. Plus, one person may tolerate a high dosage of seabuckthorn while another may not.