Over the course of my decade-plus as a holistic health journalist and researcher, few fruits have intrigued me, and captured my fancy, like sea buckthorn.
I currently live in southeast Michigan where I have resided for all of my life, a region not necessarily known for its exotic fruits.
One day, while perusing the grounds of an organic orchard in Ann Arbor, Michigan (a city with over 100,000 residents also known as ‘Tree Town’), a unique tree caught my eye.
This particular orchard is widely known as a Paw Paw orchard, but in this case, the branches and fruits of the Sea Buckthorn tree caught my eye — it just looked like something different from the moment I laid eyes on it, and once I tried the fruits, I was hooked.
Simply put, Sea Buckthorn is one of the most incredible medicinal plants on Planet Earth, just one reason why I became so interested in native plants and horticulture ever since that fateful day.
‘The Holy Fruit of the Himalayas’
The owner of that particular farmhouse and orchard, Marc, explained to me that the tree came from Siberia, where it grows wild and bestows delicious bright orange berries upon the Earth for animals, birds and humans alike to consume.
Perhaps the most unique feature of the sea buckthorn tree is its thorny branches, which protects the fruits, especially during the winter months, from overconsumption.
Marc explained to me that he needed to trim the branches each winter to prevent them from becoming overgrown.
These berries also have a unique nutritional profile in comparison to similar berries like the Camu Camu berry and the European Mountain Ash.
Pictures of the at times sharp, spiky branches are shown below:
Sea Buckthorn can be grown in a wide variety of places, it is perhaps best known medicinally in the Ayurvedic traditions of India and nearby areas.
It has also been called the ‘Holy Fruit of the Himalayas’ for its wide variety of health benefits.
Sea Buckthorn berries may be useful for the following purposes:
-Rich in vitamins A, C, K and E
-May help reduce the risk of heart disease
-Supporting healthy blood sugar in diabetics and pre-diabetics
-May boost immune system health
-Are considered to be one of the best fruits for topical skin and hair health
-Are rich in Omega-6 fatty acids, the most abundant fatty acids in human skin
Sea Berries Activate The Regenerative, Anti-Aging Power of Stem Cells
Some of the most groundbreaking nutritional science in recent months has centered around stem cells and foods that help activate them naturally.
Stem cells are stored in the human body in the months and years following our birth, and contain powerful restorative properties.
Foods like dark chocolate, sea buckthorn and others help to activate stem cells that may be laying dormant in various parts of the body.
Studies show that these tiny healing berries mobilize specific stem cell types involved in regenerative and reparative functions.