Sea Buckthorn, or Havtorn as we call it in Sweden, is an ancient berry that grows on a tough shrub, which was perhaps the very first plant that managed to take root in the beach gravel when the great ice sheet over the Nordic countries melted away ten thousand years ago. And it is still on the rocky shores that sea buckthorn grows wild along the Swedish coastline, from Bohuslän to Norrbotten.
These hardy shrubs are common on beaches where, in the autumn months, they show off colorful orange Sea Buckthorn berries which are extremely nutritious. Their powerful nutrients have been known for a long time here, although it is not until recent years that Sea Buckthorn has begun to become widely praised and used around the globe.
Sea buckthorn, Seaberry, Sandthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides, ‘shining horse’
To understand where all of these names come from, we must go all the way back to the days of Pegasus, the flying horse of Greek mythology. Legends tell us that Pegasus’ wings grew and took flight only after eating the magical berries of Sea Buckthorn. According to another legend, ancient Greeks fed Sea Buckthorn to their race horses, not only to enhance their performance, but also because it made their hair shiny, hence the name “Hippophae” – Latin term Hippo meaning horse + Phaos, which means to shine.
There are even stories about post-war times in 12 BC Greece, when wounded horses left out on the battlefield would make their way into the jungle where Sea Buckthorn grew profusely. Greek people assumed they went into the jungle to die, but some time later, the horses emerged strong and radiant.
Sea buckthorn is also very important in eastern countries. It’s been prized in China and Mongolia since primitive times, where it’s often called the Holy Fruit. And the classic Tibetan medical text – Sibu Yidian, written in the 8th century – devotes 30 whole chapters to the medicinal and nutritional uses of Sea Buckthorn!
Enough vitamin C for entire human population
Yes that’s right. It’s been estimated that there is enough vitamin C in the berries of the world’s Sea Buckthorn plants to meet the dietary requirements of the entire human population! One small berry contains much more vitamin C than an entire orange.
Sea Buckthorn contains 190 known bioactive elements – some of them very rare in the plant world – including vitamins and minerals, carotenoids like beta-carotene, fatty acids, free amino acids and many more substances that make their list of nutritional and medicinal benefits very long. The leaves and berries are used clinically in hospitals around the globe. The berries make highly nutritious juices, jams, marmalades and liqueurs, which is definitely the most common way to use Sea Buckthorn here. It’s not unusual to find these products in our grocery markets.
Sea Buckthorn for Skin Health
The oil-rich berries of Sea Buckthorn are also used in skincare products, including our Seaberry Skin Repairing Elixir.
Remember all of that vitamin C content we discussed above? Vitamin C keeps your skin strong and supple. It protects from UVA and UVB radiation. Boosts the defense system (the primary function of our skin). It’s also been found to even skin tone and boost collagen production over time.
Sea Buckthorn also contains an incredible amount of vitamins E (hydrating) and A (regenerative), as well as beta-carotene, which acts as a precursor to vitamin A in the body. The carotene is stored under the skin and gives your skin a tan tone while protecting against the sun’s rays. When needed, the body can convert carotene to active vitamin A. So not only does this vitamin make-up help your skin maintain moisture, it protects from sun radiation and boosts the defense system to quickly repair any damage.
Besides protecting from sun, Sea Buckthorn protects the skin against other environmental aggressors such as pollution. It’s actually used to reduce pollution in the soil too (more on its ecological benefits later) and was used in Russian hospitals to treat victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The ability to protect from environmental pollution is great news for those wanting to slow down visible signs of aging.
The fatty acid profile of Sea Buckthorn is also worth mentioning, as it’s very rare for plants to contain all four fatty acids – omega-3, omega-6, omega-7 and omega-9. To summarize a long list of potential skin benefits, the fatty acids in Sea Buckthorn berries are regenerative and protect from environmental and oxidative stress. They restore healthy skin membrane, help the skin retain optimal moisture, address sun damage, soothe redness or irritation and reduce inflammation.
Its anti-inflammatory properties is why so many people use it to treat issues like acne, eczema, sunburns, rosacea and more. And unlike most acne treatments on the market, Sea Buckthorn will not dry out your skin. The opposite in fact! Well-hydrated skin is healthier skin. Healthier skin is a healthier you.
Why We Avoid Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil
Since conventional Sea Buckthorn oil, which undergoes a highly industrial process, is very high in polyunsaturated fats (learn why PUFAs are a problem here), we wild-harvest Sea Buckthorn berries ourselves from the coast of Sweden, dry out the berries slowly yet thoroughly, crush them up and infuse them in high-quality jojoba oil.
This not only keeps the fatty acid profile balanced for long-term skin health, but it also means that more nutrients are extracted from the whole berry. We believe this is the most sustainable path for everyone – us and nature.
Want to make your own face oil?
To make our Seaberry Skin Repairing Elixir, you need just 3 powerful ingredients – wildcrafted Sea Buckthorn, high-quality jojoba oil and tamanu oil.
So if you’re fortunate to have access to wild Sea Buckthorn, then you can absolutely try making this elixir yourself!
Sea Buckthorn takes time to properly harvest, as the branches are tough and thorny, but the work is so fulfilling. I was always taught to wait to pick the berries after the first frost. To make the prickly work a bit easier, you can cut a few branches from the Sea Buckthorn plant and put them in the freezer. Once the berries are frozen, they’re much easier to get off the branches without squishing them into juice! However, this does extend the drying process afterwards.
Once you have your berries and you’ve given them time to dry out completely, then the next step is to crush them up and infuse them into your chosen oil.
How to choose the best oil? I love jojoba, but there are other options. Here are our favorite oils for skin health.
And check Make Your Own: Infused Oils to learn exactly how to infuse your chosen oil with Sea Buckthorn with our step-by-step process.
From there, it’s as simple as combining your Sea Buckthorn infused oil with tamanu oil at a ratio of 4:1. So for our 50 ml bottles, that means 40 ml sea buckthorn infused jojoba oil + 10 ml tamanu oil, plus a few drops of vitamin E oil for extra stability.
The potency of this elixir is in its simplicity, and also the quality of ingredients. For best results, make sure you’re using the highest quality oils you can find. And as always, when wildcrafting any plant material, go to the wildest place you can get to – far from traffic, construction and industrial activity.
How the Land Also Loves Sea Buckthorn
Since this is an ode to our beloved Hippophae rhamnoides, I must quickly highlight how beneficial this plant is to the land as well.
Sea Buckthorn has a highly efficient relationship with a bacterium Frankia, which belongs to a primitive class of bacteria called the Actinomycetes. This relationship allows it to convert atmospheric nitrogen to a form that can be used for nutrition. Very few other plant species have developed such nitrogen-fixing relationships with the long, thread-like Actinomycetes.
In short, their relationship improves root growth and enhances the entire soil ecosystem, giving it more organic matter, more oxygen and more soil organisms, which means more soil biodiversity. Soil biodiversity is the keystone to remedying so many of today’s social and environmental issues.
Due to its extensive root system, Sea Buckthorn is useful in reclaiming and conserving soil, especially on fragile slopes. It is resistant to drought and tolerates soil salinity and low temperatures, making it suitable for many situations that are simply too demanding for most plants. And thanks to its nitrogen-fixing capabilities, Sea Buckthorn requires no fertilizers that lead to both health and ecological problems.
In a poverty-stricken region of Mongolia, where climate change has ruined the soil people once used for farming and growing food, sea buckthorn is being planted not only as a nutrient dense food source, but to slow down the desertification process. The hope is that sea buckthorn’s deep and extensive root system will act as a water reservoir and help reduce erosion, thus increasing the amount of arid land in the tough Mongolian climate.
Not only is Sea Buckthorn naturally resistant to most pests, but many animals use it for food and shelter. For promoting wildlife, Sea Buckthorn may be very valuable, especially in its native range.
I feel so fortunate to call wild Sea Buckthorn my neighbors. They’re beautiful to look at. They’re a joy to eat and work really well for my skin. They promote a healthy, diverse environment too, which I call home.