Sea Buckthorn

Scientific Name(s): Hippophae rhamnoides L.
Common Name(s): Badriphal, Sea buckthorn

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Aug 23, 2021.

Clinical Overview

Use

Numerous pharmacological effects of sea buckthorn have been documented in the scientific literature, including antimicrobial, antiulcerogenic, antioxidant, anticancer, radioprotective, and antiplatelet activities, as well as liver and cardiovascular protectant effects. It also has beneficial effects on skin and mucosa. Although sea buckthorn has been used in Asian medicine for thousands of years, there are limited quality clinical trials to support any of these uses.

Dosing

Empirical healers have recommended approximately 20 g/day of fruit. In clinical trials, dosages of 5 to 45 g of freeze-dried sea buckthorn berries, puree, and seed or pulp oil have been used; sea buckthorn juice has been administered in volumes up to 300 mL daily over 8 weeks. Antimicrobial: 28 g/day for 90 days. Atopic dermatitis: 5 g/day of seed or pulp oil for 4 months. Cardiovascular risk factors: Oil or air-dried berries (equivalent to approximately 100 g/day fresh berries); or 300 mL of juice over 8 weeks. Dry eye: 1 g twice daily for 3 months. Liverdisease: 15 g 3 times daily of sea buckthorn extract for 6 months. Platelet aggregation: 5 g/day of oil for 4 weeks. Postmenopausal symptoms: 1.5 g twice daily for 3 months. Renal disease: 350 mg of extract twice daily for 12 weeks; or 2 g/day of oil extract for 8 weeks.

Contraindications

None well documented.

Pregnancy/Lactation

Avoid use. Information regarding safety and efficacy during pregnancy and lactation is lacking.

Interactions

None well documented.

Adverse Reactions

Carotenodermia, a nontoxic accumulation of carotenoids in the skin that manifests as a yellow to orange discoloration of the skin, can result from excessive consumption of sea buckthorn.

Toxicology

No data.

Scientific Family

• Elaeagnaceae

Botany

Sea buckthorn is a medium-sized, hardy, deciduous shrub that can grow between 2 and 6 m in height. It is found in the Northern Hemisphere along riversides, in mountainous areas, and in sandy and gravel ground at elevations of 3,300 to 4,500 m. The bark is thick and rough. Each leaf is elongate-oblanceolate or elongate-spatulate, green at the top, and silver-ash green on the underside. It flowers in April and the sour, pearl-shaped, yellowish-orange fruits are collected from August to October. There are 9 described subspecies.Guliyev 2004, Goel 2002, Yang 2001, Yang 2002, Yang 2002 The plant is naturally distributed in Central Asia, in Europe from the Black Sea coast to the Alps, and along the shores of northwestern Europe. It also is found in Canada and the United States.Yang 2001

History

Sea buckthorn has a rich history of use in treating numerous medical conditions. It has been called a "wonder" plant in many Asian countries, including China, India, and Pakistan. The berries have been used for more than 2,000 years as a medicine and food additive in Europe, Russia, and Asia.Singh 2013

Because of their hemostatic and anti-inflammatory effects, the fruits are added to prescriptions in Indian and Tibetan medicine to treat pulmonary, GI, cardiac (eg, ischemic heart disease), blood, hepatic, and metabolic disorders. Ancient Tibetan medical literature documents the use of sea buckthorn for fever, inflammation, toxicity, abscesses, cough, colds, clearing sputum, l...