Background

1
Sea buckthorn A powerhouse for prevention
Camille McGovenConcordia College Moorhead, MN
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Background Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)
is a plant native to Asia and China. The berries
are small, orange, and very bitter due to the
high acid content. The plant grows best in
sandy soil, cold climates, and altitudes of
1200-1400meters. (Dharmananda, 2004)
Traditionally used in Tibetan, Mongolian,
Chinese, and Middle Asian cultures, Sea
buckthorn has been the common remedy for
relieving coughs, aiding in digestion, increasing
blood circulation, and alleviating pain since
ancient times. The berries and seed oil contain
flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C,
and unsaturated fatty acids (Guliyeau et al.,
2004). Although used widely in China and Russia
for its myriad of properties, including
anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumoral,
hepato-protective, skin protective, and wound
healing qualities, it has only recently gained
notice within the United States.
Composition of fruit Per 100 grams of berries


Benefits
Sea buckthorn products

• Foods- juices, jellies, honeys

• Cardiovascular Disease
• A juice mixture containing vitamin A, alpha
  tocopherol, beta-carotene, and flavonoids from
  Sea buckthorn was given to participants to
  determine relation to risk factors for coronary
  artery disease. It appears that a slight increase
  in HDL cholesterol was evident, as well as a
  potential reduction in susceptibility of LDL to
  oxidation (Eccleston et al., 2002).
• Sea buckthorn berries were analyzed to determine
  effects on infections and inflammation in a
  double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled
  study. Sea buckthorn berries may play a role in
  reducing levels of C-reactive protein, an
  indicator of inflammation and a risk factor for
  cardiovascular disease (Larmo et al., 2008).
• A study was done to determine the effect of Sea
  buckthorns pulp and oil on risk factors of
  cardiovascular disease, such as levels of plasma
  lipids and glucose, and platelet aggregation.
  The researchers found that both rate of platelet
  aggregation and total amount of platelet
  aggregation was reduced in the participants
  receiving the Sea buckthorn pulp and oil extract.
  This indicates the possibility that Sea buckthorn
  could aid those who have increased blood clotting
  problems(Johansson et al., 2000).
• Atopic Dermatitis
• A placebo-controlled, double-blind study was
  conducted on the effects of seeds and pulp oils
  of sea buckthorn on patients with atopic
  dermatitis. Participants orally consumed 500 mg
  of Sea buckthorn oil in gel caplets ten times per
  day. Researchers found that the alpha-linolenic
  acid in Sea buckthorn oil seems to have a
  beneficial effect on the atopic dermatitis (Baoru
  et al., 1999).
• Wound Healing
• The safety of oral intake and value of Sea
  buckthorn seed oil on full-thickness burn wounds
  on rats was researched. In this study, the
  results suggest that the Sea buckthorn seed oil
  contains wound healing properties and has no
  toxic effects. The animals showed improvement
  through reduced or no edema when healing and an
  increase in the level of hydrozyproline (a marker
  of collagen content) which shows that the tissues
  are becoming stronger and can regenerate
  (Upadhyay et al., 2008).
• Food Preservation
• A study was conducted on the anti-oxidant and
  anti-bacterial properties of Sea buckthorn seeds.
  The seeds showed anti-bacterial properties in
  relation to specific food-borne pathogens
  including Bacillus cereus, Listeria
  monocytogenes, Bacillus coagulans, Yersinia
  enterocolitica, and Bacillus subtilis. The
  growth of the pathogens decreased, showing how
  Sea buckthorn could be used as a natural food
  preservative (Negi et al., 2005).
• Safety and adaptogenic activity
• Research on rats indicates that heavy metal
  toxicity is not a concern with oral intake of Sea
  buckthorn. Also, this study shows that Sea
  buckthorn has a high level of adaptogenic
  activity, which means the fruit contains
  antioxidants and the plant may increase the
  body's resistance to stress, trauma, anxiety, and
  fatigue (Saggu et al., 2006).

Vitamin C (RDA is 75mg for females and 90mg for males) 200-1,500 mg (typical amount 600 mg)
Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) (RDA 15mg) Up to 180 mg
Folic Acid (RDA 2.4mcg) Up to 80 mcg
Carotenoids, including beta carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthine 30-40 mg
Fatty acids (oils) unsaturated fatty acids are oleic acid, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid and linoleic acid, and linolenic acid 6-11 (3-5 in fruit pulp, 8-18 in seed)
Flavonoids 100-1,000 mg
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• Oils

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• Skin care products- lotions, soaps, lip balms,
  moisturizers

(Dharmananda, 2004)

• Antioxidants- Vitamin C and vitamin E, and
  carotenoids
• -Antioxidants can protect the body from the
  effect of free radicals, which are molecules
  that are produced when the body breaks down food
  or are formed from tobacco, smoke, or radiation.
• Free radicals can cause cell damage, and may play
  a role in cardiovascular disease and cancer
  (Medline Plus, 2009).
• Flavonoids- Group of antioxidants may possibly
  increase ability of antioxidative enzymes,
  inhibit platelet aggregation, improve blood
  circulation, reduce inflammation, and inhibit the
  growth and speeding up of apoptosis of cancer
  cells.
• -Amount of flavonoids varies depending on
  location, subspecies, and the harvesting dates
  (Yang, B. et al., 2009).

(Dharmananada, 2004)
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Conclusion

• Sea buckthorn has been extensively researched and
  utilized in China however, there is only a small
  body of research thus far in the United States.
• Current research indicates Sea buckthorn may play
  a preventative role in cardiovascular disease,
  may help with atopic dermatitis symptoms, wound
  healing, and could possibly be used as a natural
  food preservative.
• Sea buckthorn contains a large amount of
  antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and
  carotenoids.
• The seeds are good source of unsaturated fatty
  acids such as omega-3 fatty acids.

Fatty acid content of Sea buckthorn oils From
Seed, Pulp Oil, Fruit Residue Oil

Description and Usage Recommendations
Type Seed Oil Pulp Oil Fruit Residue Oil
Unsaturated fatty acids 87 67 70
Saturated fatty acids 13 33 30
Literature cited
(Dharmananda, 2004)
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids- Essential component
of cell membranes affect functions including
enzymes, ion channels, and receptors. -Help
regulate immune reaction and inflammation (Yang,
et al., 1999).
Beveridge, T., Li, T.C., Oomah, D. Smith, A.
(1999) Sea buckthorn products manufacture and
composition. Journal of Agricultural and
Food Chemistry, 47, 3480-3488. Dharmananda,
S. (2004) Sea buckthorn. Institute for
Traditional Medicine. Retrieved November 23,
2009 http//www.itmonline.org/art/s
eabuckthorn.htm Eccleston, C., Yang, B.,
Tahvonen, R., Kallio, H., Rimbach, G.H.
Minihane, A.M. (2002) Effects of an
antioxidant-rich juice (Sea buckthorn)
on risk factors for coronary heart disease in
humans.The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry,
13(6)346-354. Guliyeu, V.B., Gul, M., Yildirim,
A. (2004) Hippophae rhamnoides L.
Chromatographic methods to determine chemical
composition, use in traditional
medicine and pharmacological effects. Journal of
Chromatography B., 812(1-2)291-307. Johansson,
A.K., Korte, H., Yang, B., Stanley, J.C.
Kallio, H.P. (2000) Sea buckthorn berry oil
inhibits platelet aggregation. The Journal of
Nutritional Biochemistry,
11(10)491-495. Larmo, P., Alin, J., Salminen,
E., Kallio, H. Tahvonen R. (2008) Effects of
sea buckthorn berries on infections and
inflammation a double- blind,
randomized, placebo-controlled trial. European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 9,
1223-1130. Medline Plus. (2009) Antioxidants.
Retrieved November 29, 2009 http//www.nlm.nih.go
v/medlineplus/antioxidants.html Negi, P.S.,
Chauhan, A.S., Sadia, G.A., Rohinishree, Y.S.
Ramteke, R.S. (2005) Antioxidant and
antibacterial activities of various sea
buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) seed
extracts. Food Chemistry, 92, 119-124. Saggu, S.,
Divikar, H.M., Sawhney, R.C., Gupta, V.,
Banerjee, P.K. Kumar, R. (2006) Adaptogenic and
toxicity evaluation of Sea buckthorn
(Hippophae rhamnoides) leaf extract A dose
dependent study.Toxology Letters,
164(1)S196. Upadhyay, N.K., Kumar, R., Mandotra,
S.K., Meena, R.N., Siddiqui, M.S., Sawhney, R.C.
et al.(2009) Safety and healing efficacy of Sea
buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.)
seed oil on burn wounds in rats. Food and
Chemical Toxicology, 47(6)1146-1153. Yang, B.,
Kalimo, K.O., Mattila, L.M., Kallio, S.K.,
Katajisto, J.K., Peltola, O.J., Kallio, H.P.
(1999)Effects of dietary supplementation with Sea
buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)
seed and pulp oils on atopic dermatitis. The
Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 10 (11)622-
630. Yang, B., Halttunen, T., Raimo,
O., Price, K. Kallio H. (2008) Flavonol
glycosides in wild and cultivated berries of
three major subspecies of Hippophae
rhamnoides and changes during harvesting period.
Food Chemistry, 115(2)657-664.

• Can be taken orally through juice blends, oil
  caplets, or as whole berries
• Berries are used for juice blends, seeds are used
  in oil caplets
• Serving size of fruit is 50-100g of berries
• Oil caplets contain 1500-3000mg of oil
• Sea buckthorn berry is the part of the plant most
  often used due to high levels of vitamin C,
  vitamin E, flavonoids, and carotenoids
• Unpleasant whey-like flavor that is similar to
  that of over-ripe or old fruit thought to be
  caused by flavor precursors from the saturated
  and the unsaturated fatty acids as well as the
  carboxylic acids
• Flavor can be modified by incubating Sea
  buckthorn product with cut pieces of raw, intact,
  healthy acid rich fruits such as apples, bananas,
  and pears
• Process allows enzymes in the acid rich fruits to
  degrade the flavor precursors within the Sea
  buckthorn (Beveridge,T. et al., 1999)
• Leaves can be used within teas

• Processing
• Three main products produced seed oil, yellow
  pigment, and juice
• Berries are harvested in the fall and cleaned and
  juice is extracted by pressing the berry
• -Juice has high amount of suspended solids
  pulp oil is within solids
• Oil is removed, remaining juice mixture is called
  mixed juice
• Mixed juice separates into three layers including
  the surface layer, the clear middle portion, and
  the sinking sediment.
• Pulp removed through filtration or centrifugation
  (Beveridge et al., 1999).