The bright red-orange berries of theSea buckthorn(Hippophae rhamnoides) are not only a beautiful sight. They also contain a surprisinglylarge amount ofvitamin CEven citrus fruits, which are also rich in vitamins, cannot compete with this. Sea buckthorn has therefore earned the honorary title of "lemon of the north". And that's not all.
What exactly is sea buckthorn?
The sea buckthorn of the species Hippophae rhamnoides belongs to the oleaster family, reaches heights of between one and six metres andprefers calcareous sand and gravel soils in sunny locationsIn the Alps, the deciduous shrub can be found up to an altitude of 1,800 metres; in Asia, specimens also exist at much higher altitudes of up to 5,000 metres.The thorny shrub originally comes from Nepal. Due to ice age shifts, it spread from there to Siberia and China and finally to northwestern Europe. Sea buckthorn bushes have a root system that can extend vertically up to three meters deep and horizontally up to twelve meters. This means they can anchor themselves firmly on steep banks and are also known as sea buckthorn, lagoon buckthorn or beach buckthorn.
What is special about sea buckthorn?
Between August and December, the distinctive bright berries, which botanically belong to the pseudo-stone fruits, ripen on the branches of the female bushes. Sea buckthorn berries areextremely rich in vitamin C (450 milligrams per 100 grams)and easily outdo all citrus fruits. Only rose hips are richer in ascorbic acid. But sea buckthorn berries also contain a good 100 other bioactive substances.The oil from sea buckthorn fruits has anti-inflammatory propertiesand supports a heart-healthy diet. Due to its nutritional content, sea buckthorn can be called a superfood, and it is no wonder that sea buckthorn recipes andSea buckthorn-based cosmetic productsbecome more popular
Use of sea buckthorn?
Raw and unprocessed, the berries taste sour and unattractive. Sweetened concentrates in jams, fruit purees or juices are very tasty. On cold days,hot sea buckthorn juice is a popular drink in coastal regions. The rich ingredients of the berries are used in dietary supplements to support the immune system. Popular and proven areImmune products with sea buckthorn, for example sea buckthorn inCapsuleswith sea buckthorn andEchinaceaThe seeds can also be used to produce high-quality oil for skin care products.
What are the main ingredients in sea buckthorn?
In addition to vitamin C, sea buckthorn contains many other vitamins, such as antioxidantsBeta-carotene (provitamin A), vitamin E and B vitamins, various amino acids, minerals such as magnesium and calcium as well as valuable flavonoids make the red fruits first-class nutritional bombs. Finally, the pulp consists of three to five percent oil, which, among other things,unsaturated fatty acids such as oleic acid and alpha-linolenic acidcontains.
