From the Himalayan highlands to the modern clinic, the story of a thorny orange berry.

On windswept dunes and rocky river gravels from the Atlantic coast to the high Himalaya, a silvery, thorny shrub carries clusters of brilliant orange berries deep into winter. Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides, family Elaeagnaceae) is tart, oily, intensely nutritious and one of the most quietly remarkable medicinal fruits in the herbal tradition.

A plant with a long memory

The genus name is often traced to the Greek hippos (horse) and phaos (shining). The old story is that horses fed on the leaves and twigs grew sleek, glossy coats. Whether or not the tale is literally true, it captures how long people have connected the plant with vitality and condition.

Its deepest medical roots lie in Central Asia. In Tibetan medicine the berry is a long-established remedy, and it features in the Four Tantras (Gyushi), the foundational Tibetan medical text, where it is used for cough, circulatory complaints and disorders of the digestion. Mongolian traditional medicine likewise valued the fruit and oil for lung conditions, stomach complaints and skin injuries. In China, sea buckthorn (shaji) has been used in traditional medicine for centuries for cough with phlegm, indigestion and poor circulation, and the fruit has been recognised in the national pharmacopoeia in modern times.

In Russia and Eastern Europe, interest surged in the 20th century. Sea buckthorn oil was widely studied and used for burns, ulcers and skin injuries, and popular accounts describe its use in the Soviet space programme and among athletes. These stories are frequently repeated; the underlying evidence is thinner than the legend, and it is worth presenting them as history rather than proof.

What is in the berry?

Sea buckthorn is unusually rich and varied in its chemistry:

• Vitamin C: the berries are among the richer plant sources, though levels vary considerably by variety, growing conditions and processing.
• Carotenoids: beta-carotene, lycopene and others give the fruit its orange colour and are the reason for the deep orange colour of the oil.
• Fatty acids: unusually, both the pulp and seed oils contain meaningful amounts of omega-7 (palmitoleic acid), alongside palmitic and oleic acids. Seed oil is higher in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
• Flavonoids and phenolics: including quercetin, isorhamnetin and kaempferol derivatives.
• Vitamin E and plant sterols, which add to its antioxidant profile.

It is also an ecological workhorse: the shrub forms root nodules with nitrogen-fixing Frankia bacteria, so it thrives on poor soil and is used for land reclamation and erosion control.

Historical use in Asian and Western medicine

The documented medical history of sea buckthorn is overwhelmingly Asian, and the three Sino-Mongolian systems agree closely on what it is for. In the West its record is thinner, more agricultural and, in places, more legend than evidence.

Asia: Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese medicine

A 2026 review of the ethnopharmacology notes that the plant is formally recorded in the Tibetan Gyud-bzhi (Four Medical Tantras), a Mongolian materia medica and Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu (Compendium of Materia Medica, Ming dynasty), and that these systems converge on lung, digestive and blood-circulation uses. Some reviews date its use in Chinese medicine to the Tang dynasty, over a thousand years ago.

• Tibetan (Sowa-Rigpa): recorded in the Four Tantras and the Crystal Pearl Materia Medica. Traditionally described as sour and slightly sweet, warm, dry and sharp. Used for phlegm and cough (lung abscess, tuberculosis, emphysema), blood stasis (bruising, menstrual disorders, circulation), and indigestion and gastric complaints. Tibetan sources reportedly also recommended the berry for travellers at high altitude Typical preparations include juice made into ointments, and powders such as Wuwei Shaji San.

• Mongolian: recorded in the Yin Shan Zheng Yao and the Crystal Mirror of Materia Medica. Traditionally described as sour and astringent, warm, dry and oily. Used for phlegm and "Badagan" disorders, lung-heat cough, blood stasis and gynaecological conditions, and digestion. Typical preparations include powders combined with raisins and liquorice, as well as ointments and extracts. The Mongolian tradition also valued the stems and ash as well as the fruit.

• Chinese: recorded in Li Shizhen's Bencao Gangmu (1518 to 1593) and the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Traditionally described as sour, warm and non-toxic. Used for chronic dysentery, abdominal fullness, tapeworm, and thirst and dryness; the Pharmacopoeia lists cough with phlegm, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, blood-stasis amenorrhoea and bruising. Typical preparations include a powder taken with wine, and pickled fruit for thirst.

The West: horses, hedges and Soviet research

Ancient Greece. The popular story is that horses turned out to graze on sea buckthorn returned glossy and strong, giving the genus its name. Reviews attribute the idea to Theophrastus and Dioscorides, and describe Hellenic horse husbandry using the leaves and twigs as feed. Treat this with caution: a botanical reference notes that the classical Greek name hippophae referred to a different plant, possibly a prickly spurge, so the link to our shrub may be a later assumption.

Northern and Central Europe. The record is largely practical rather than medical. Reviews describe use in Fennoscandia and the Baltic for food, hedging and some folk medicine, and in Germany for reclaiming colliery spoil and derelict land. There is little evidence of a substantial medieval European medical tradition.

Russia and Central Asia. This is where the Western-side medical interest is real. Russian and Central Asian traditions are described as using the plant for skin and digestive complaints, and Soviet scientists began studying the fruit, leaves and bark from the 1940s onwards. Sea buckthorn oil is reported to be registered in Russia as a topical medicine for burns, radiation skin injury and ulcers, although that evidence rests on small Soviet-era clinical studies rather than modern randomised trials. Popular accounts that cosmonauts used it for radiation protection, and that it treated Chernobyl burn victims, are widely repeated but solid primary sources are lacking, so they are best presented as lore.

Genghis Khan. The tale that his armies ate the berries and rubbed the oil into their horses is common in the commercial literature, but it is a legend with no clear historical source, and is best left out or clearly labelled as such.

Berry and leaf: two different materials

The berry is the nutritional and oil source, while the leaf is a polyphenol-rich tea herb with a lighter evidence base.

Berry. This is the main medicinal and commercial part. It is rich in vitamin C, carotenoids, flavonoids and oil, held in both the pulp and the seed. Traditional uses centre on cough, digestion, circulation and skin. Today it goes into juice, purée, oils, capsules, foods and cosmetics.

Leaf. The leaf contains no oil and has far less vitamin C and far fewer carotenoids than the berry. Its value lies in polyphenols: flavonoid glycosides (quercetin, kaempferol and isorhamnetin derivatives), tannins and phenolic acids. Leaves and young twigs appear in Tibetan, Mongolian and Central Asian folk practice for digestive and inflammatory complaints, and as animal fodder, which is the likely source of the shining-horse story. Today the leaf is mostly taken as a tea or extract. Research interest has focused on blood glucose, lipids and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity, but the evidence is limited to small human studies and laboratory work. The regulatory status of the leaf as a food or supplement ingredient differs from the berry's in some jurisdictions, so check the current position before writing about marketed products.

Pulp oil and seed oil

The two oils come from different parts of the berry and have different profiles, so they should not be treated as interchangeable.

• Pulp (berry) oil: deep orange to red. Its main fatty acids are palmitic and palmitoleic (omega-7), with oleic. It is high in omega-7 and high in carotenoids, which give it its colour. It also contains vitamin E and plant sterols. Its traditional and modern focus is skin, mucous membranes and the digestive tract, and typical uses are skin balms and creams, and oral capsules for mucosal health.

• Seed oil: pale yellow to light orange. Its main fatty acids are linoleic (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic (omega-3), with oleic. It is low in omega-7 and much lower in carotenoids. It also contains vitamin E and plant sterols. Its focus is cardiovascular and general nutritional support, and typical uses are oral capsules, culinary and nutritional use, and lighter skincare.

Exact percentages vary widely with variety, origin and extraction method, so the article should give ranges rather than fixed figures. Both oils are rich in unsaturated fats and oxidise readily, so they are best bought in dark bottles and kept cool.

Reported benefits and the state of the evidence

Skin and mucous membranes. This is where the tradition and the modern interest overlap most closely. Topical oil has been used for burns, wounds, sunburn and dry or irritated skin. Preliminary studies suggest benefit for skin hydration and barrier function, though trials are generally small.

Dry eye. Oral sea buckthorn oil has been examined in a placebo-controlled trial for dry-eye symptoms with modest findings, suggesting a role for the omega-7 content in supporting mucosal surfaces. Larger confirmatory work is still needed.

Cardiometabolic health. Small clinical studies and laboratory work have explored effects on blood lipids, blood pressure, glucose handling and platelet function. Results are suggestive rather than conclusive.

Gastrointestinal and respiratory health. Traditional uses for gastric irritation, ulcers and cough remain popular. The evidence is mostly traditional, experimental or preliminary.

Antioxidant and immune support. The vitamin C, carotenoid and polyphenol content makes the berry a valuable food. This is a nutritional rationale, not a guarantee of clinical effect.

How it is used today

• Juice and purée: intensely sour, usually sweetened or blended. A popular wellness drink across northern Europe, Russia and China.
• Oils: two distinct products, pulp (berry) oil and seed oil, with different fatty acid profiles. Used internally in capsules or liquid, and topically in skincare.
• Skincare and cosmetics: creams, balms and serums for dry, sun-exposed or sensitive skin.
• Food: jams, syrups, teas, liqueurs and sauces. In parts of Scandinavia, Germany, the Baltics and Russia it is a familiar commercial crop.
• Dried berries and leaf teas: the leaves have their own traditional use and a growing research interest.

Grown sustainably, the plant is attractive for hedging and coastal planting. It is worth noting, however, that in some coastal dune systems it spreads aggressively and can displace native vegetation, so site and local conservation advice matter.

In our clinic we use sea buckthorn in personalised skin formulations and in our nutritive teas and immune syrups. Each preparation is formulated as part of the individual's herbal prescription, and we check for herb-drug interactions before prescribing. Here is a useful formulation for dry, irritated or weather-exposed skin that can easily be made at home to complement your normal skincare.

Recipe: sea buckthorn skin balm

This soft, anhydrous balm suits dry, weather-exposed or irritated skin, and makes about 100 g (roughly three 30 ml tins). Both oils go in after heating, because their carotenoids and unsaturated fats are heat-sensitive.

Ingredients

• Carrier oil (olive, sweet almond or calendula-infused oil). 55 g, the base oil
• Shea butter. 20 g; richness and body
• Beeswax  12 g, sets the balm
• Sea buckthorn seed oil. 7 g, essential fatty acids
• Sea buckthorn pulp oil. 5 g, carotenoids and omega-7
• Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols). 1 g, slows oxidation

Method

1. Warm the carrier oil, shea butter and beeswax in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, stirring until fully melted.
2. Take the bowl off the heat and let it cool for a few minutes, until it is warm but still liquid.
3. Stir in the seed oil, pulp oil and vitamin E.
4. Pour into clean, dry tins or jars and leave undisturbed to set for a few hours.
5. Label with the date and ingredients. Stored cool and dark, it should keep for around six months to a year; discard it if it smells rancid.

Notes

• Pulp oil is strongly pigmented and will tint the balm orange and can stain clothing and fabric. Keep it at about 5%, and use less for a paler balm.
• For a firmer balm, raise the beeswax by 2 to 3 g; for a softer one, lower it.
• Patch-test on the inner forearm first. Avoid it if there is a nut allergy (almond oil, shea) or a beeswax allergy.
• It is a topical skin-care product, not a treatment for deep wounds, severe burns or infected skin, which need medical advice.
• This formulation is a starting point and has not been tested here, so trial a small batch and adjust the texture to preference.

Safety and practical notes

Whole berries and juice are generally well tolerated, though the acidity can aggravate reflux in sensitive people, and large amounts of carotenoid-rich oil may tint the skin slightly orange. Because some studies suggest effects on platelet function and blood sugar, caution is sensible for people taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication, or glucose-lowering drugs, and for anyone facing surgery. Pregnancy and breastfeeding data are limited. As with any herbal product, quality and sourcing matter: choose clearly labelled products that state the plant part used (pulp versus seed) and the extraction method.

Conclusion

Sea buckthorn is a plant where an impressive tradition and an impressive chemistry meet a still-developing evidence base. Its long use in Tibetan, Mongolian and Chinese medicine, its distinctive omega-7 content and its value as both a food and a topical remedy make it well worth a place in the modern herbal conversation, as long as we let the research, not the legend, set the limits of our claims.

References

• Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of sea buckthorn: a comprehensive review, Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2026
• Sea buckthorn: nutritional value, health properties and applications, PubMed Central
• Sea buckthorn bioactive metabolites and their pharmacological potential in digestive diseases, PubMed Central, 2025
• Hippophae, Oregon State University Landscape Plants (for the classical Greek name)
• Sea buckthorn: local burn and damaged-skin care (for the Russian topical registration; a secondary source, so verify before citing)

Disclaimer



This article is for general information and education only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Herbal preparations, including sea buckthorn, can interact with prescribed medicines, in particular blood-thinning and antiplatelet drugs and glucose-lowering medication, and should be discussed with your doctor or a registered medical herbalist before use, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, have a medical condition or are due to have surgery. Traditional uses described here reflect historical practice and do not imply proven effectiveness. The skin balm recipe is intended for external use on intact skin only; patch-test before first use and stop if irritation occurs. If you have a persistent or worsening skin condition, seek medical advice.