Botanical atlas
Sea Buckthorn
Hippophae rhamnoides
Sea buckthorn has a long history stretching from Tibetan and Mongolian medicine to ancient Greek horse pastures, where its leaves and berries were said to be fed to horses to give their coats a brilliant shine, which is where the genus name Hippophae, meaning shining horse, comes from. Along the coasts and river valleys of Europe and Asia, the tart orange berries were traditionally pressed into juices and preserves to help see families through the cold, dark months. Herbalists in the regions where it grows wild also turned to the oil pressed from its pulp and seeds as a traditional skin salve. Its ability to thrive in poor, windswept, sandy soil made it as prized for stabilizing eroding land as for the berries themselves.
In tradition.
Sea buckthorn has a long history stretching from Tibetan and Mongolian medicine to ancient Greek horse pastures, where its leaves and berries were said to be fed to horses to give their coats a brilliant shine, which is where the genus name Hippophae, meaning shining horse, comes from. Along the coasts and river valleys of Europe and Asia, the tart orange berries were traditionally pressed into juices and preserves to help see families through the cold, dark months. Herbalists in the regions where it grows wild also turned to the oil pressed from its pulp and seeds as a traditional skin salve. Its ability to thrive in poor, windswept, sandy soil made it as prized for stabilizing eroding land as for the berries themselves.
Traditional preparations.
A tart, bright infusion traditionally sipped during the cooler months, often sweetened lightly with honey.
Traditionally, 1 tablespoon of crushed dried sea buckthorn berries is steeped in 250 ml of just-boiled water for 10 minutes, then strained before drinking.
Cold-pressed sea buckthorn oil has traditionally been massaged into rough or chapped skin as a simple nourishing treatment.
A few drops of cold-pressed sea buckthorn oil are gently smoothed onto clean, dry skin, particularly on elbows, hands, or other rough patches.
Safety.
The berries and juice are a gentle, widely eaten food, though they're quite acidic and may irritate a sensitive stomach in excess. Concentrated oil or extracts have mild blood-thinning and blood-pressure-lowering effects, so use caution with anticoagulant or blood pressure medication, or before surgery.
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Ask about Sea BuckthornHerbSense shares traditional herbal knowledge for education, not diagnosis or treatment. Herbs can interact with medicines and conditions. Speak with your doctor before acting on anything here, and seek care promptly for anything severe, sudden, or worsening.