What is Sea buckthorn?

Sea buckthorn is a thorny shrub with bright orange berries. It grows on coasts, dunes and riverbanks across northern Europe and Asia. The berries, the seeds and the oils pressed from them are used as food and as supplements.

In the Nordic countries it is called tindved, havtorn and tyrni. The raw berry is very sour and high in vitamin C. People have long turned it into juice, jam and skin oil.

Here is the short evidence verdict. Human trials exist, but most are small, and the results are mixed. The clearest signals are modest help for dry eye and for dry skin.

Traditional use is not proof that a remedy works. It is also not proof that it is safe. Read the rest of this page with that in mind.

How does Sea buckthorn work?

Most claims rest on the berry's vitamin C and on the fatty acids in its oils. How much those do inside the body is still unsettled.

The berry is a genuine source of vitamin C. Vitamin C prevents and treats scurvy, and that is well established in people.

In cell and animal studies, sea buckthorn oil appears to lower some markers of inflammation. In animals it seems to speed skin repair. Whether the same happens in people is not established.

One idea is that the oil supports the thin, moist linings of the eye, gut and genital tract. Small human trials hint at a mild effect on dryness. The effect, where it shows up at all, is small.

The orange pigments (carotenoids) act as antioxidants in test tubes. Antioxidants are compounds that mop up reactive molecules. A test-tube result does not tell you what happens after you swallow it.

What forms does Sea buckthorn come in?

Sea buckthorn is sold both as an ordinary food and as a supplement.

- Juice and juice blends, usually sweetened, since the berry is sharp. - Jam, syrup, purée and frozen berries. - Dried berry powder for drinks and baking.

- Pulp oil and seed oil, in bottles or in capsules. - Creams, balms, lip products and face oils. - Capsules sold for dry eye or dry skin.

Oil capsules are the form used in most human trials. Foods such as juice and jam are eaten as food, not dosed as medicine.

Skin products are for the skin only. Do not swallow a cream or a cosmetic face oil.

Where it comes from:

Coastal families in Norway, Sweden and Finland gathered the berries for food. The shrub copes with salt, wind and poor sand, so it grew where little else would.

The sour juice became drinks, jams and syrups. It was prized through long winters, when fresh fruit was scarce. It was eaten as a routine food rather than a rare cure.

Folk practice also used the oil on burns, chafed skin and slow-healing sores. Similar uses are recorded in Tibetan, Mongolian and Russian tradition.

In the 20th century, Soviet and Nordic growers farmed it for oil and juice. Finnish research groups later ran the first modern human trials.

What does Sea buckthorn help with?

• Dry eye: This is the use with the most human data, and the data are modest. A Finnish trial gave about 2 g of sea buckthorn oil a day for three months. Taking it eased redness and burning a little. It did not clear the problem. Tradition did not use the berry for eyes. This claim is modern and rests on a small number of studies.
• Dry or irritated skin: Nordic and Russian practice put the oil on chapped and sore skin. Modern use follows the same idea, by mouth and on the skin. Small trials in atopic dermatitis (eczema) report mild gains. The studies are few and the groups are small. Moisturisers with the oil may help simply because they are oily. That is not a special effect of the plant.
• Vaginal dryness after menopause: One Finnish trial tested sea buckthorn oil capsules in postmenopausal women. The lining of the vagina looked slightly better after three months. The change was small, and the trial has not been repeated at size. Oestrogen treatments remain far better studied for this problem. Discuss persistent dryness with your doctor before you self-treat.
• Vitamin C intake: The berry is a real source of vitamin C. Vitamin C prevents and treats scurvy, which is settled. How much survives in a given product varies a lot. Heat, pressing and long storage all cut the amount. Sea buckthorn is one good fruit source among many. It is not better than others in any proven way.
• Minor wounds and burns (oil on the skin): Folk use put the oil on burns, grazes and cracked skin. Animal studies show faster healing of surface wounds. Good human trials are lacking. Treat this as a tradition with laboratory support, not a proven treatment. Do not put it on deep, dirty or large burns. Those need medical care.
• Blood fat levels: Some small trials report minor shifts in cholesterol or triglycerides (a blood fat). Others report no change at all. The overall picture is weak and inconsistent. Nothing here supports replacing a prescribed medicine. If you are being treated for heart risk, keep taking what your doctor prescribed.

Which foods are rich in Sea buckthorn?

1. Fresh or frozen sea buckthorn berries
2. Sea buckthorn juice and juice blends
3. Sea buckthorn jam, syrup and purée
4. Dried sea buckthorn powder
5. Nordic desserts, sauces and baked goods made with the berry

Practical Tips:

Sea buckthorn is an ordinary food in the Nordic countries. The raw berry is too sour for most people on its own.

Juices and jams are usually sweetened, so check the sugar if that matters to you. Heat and long storage lower the vitamin C.

Eating it as food is the lowest-risk way to try it.

What are the side effects of Sea buckthorn?

• Loose stools or mild diarrhoea, mostly from oil capsules
• Stomach upset or bloating
• Heartburn or a sour taste from the juice
• Oily burps
• Skin redness or itch where the oil is applied
• Harmless orange staining of skin, cloths and clothing
• Allergic reaction, which is rare

Good to know:

Sea buckthorn is well tolerated by most people. It has been eaten as food in the North for centuries.

Most side effects are mild and settle when you stop. Gut upset is the most common one, and larger oil doses make it more likely.

True allergy is rare but possible. Swelling of the lips, face or throat, a rash, or trouble breathing needs emergency care.

How much Sea buckthorn should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page gives the kind of range a label carries. It is not an instruction for you. Oil capsule labels often list 500 mg to 3 g of oil a day. Juice labels commonly suggest 20 to 100 ml a day. Dried berry powder labels tend to sit around 1 to 10 g. Trials of dry eye used roughly 2 g of oil a day. Berries, juice and jam eaten as food have no set limit. Strength varies widely between products. Follow the label on the pack you actually bought.
• Best time of day: Time of day does not appear to matter. Pick a time you will remember, such as with a main meal. Splitting capsules across two meals is also common. The sharp juice late at night may bother a sensitive stomach.
• With or without food: Take oil capsules with food. The useful parts are fat-soluble, so a meal with some fat helps absorption. Food also lowers the chance of a loose stool or burping. Juice and berries are food already, so this does not apply.
• Time to effect: Expect slow change, if any. In the dry eye and dryness trials, gains showed up after one to three months. Skin oils may feel soothing on the first day, mostly because they are oils. It may also do nothing for you. That is a real and common outcome.
• How long to take it: As a food, it can be eaten as often as you like. Supplement trials usually ran for one to three months. Longer use has not been well studied. If you are taking capsules for a symptom, review it after about three months. Stop if nothing has changed.