Sea buckthorn is a hardy, thorny shrub that produces small, bright orange berries packed with an unusually broad range of nutrients. Native to Europe and Asia, it grows in sandy soils and harsh climates where most fruit-bearing plants struggle. The berries, leaves, and seeds are all used to make oils, juices, and supplements that have been part of traditional medicine for centuries and are now gaining attention in clinical research.
The Plant and Its Berries
Sea buckthorn (sometimes sold under the name “seaberry”) grows as either a large shrub or small tree, typically reaching 6 to 15 feet tall. Its narrow, silver-green leaves and dense clusters of orange berries make it easy to spot. The plant thrives in poor, sandy soils along coastlines, riverbanks, and mountainsides across Central Asia, China, Russia, and Northern Europe. It’s also cultivated in parts of Canada and the northern United States.
The berries are small, round, and tart. They’re difficult to harvest because of the plant’s sharp thorns and the fact that the berries burst easily when picked. This is one reason sea buckthorn products tend to be more expensive than comparable fruit-based supplements. The berries are processed into juice, jam, oil, and dried powder, while the seeds are cold-pressed for a separate oil with a different nutritional profile.
Why the Nutritional Profile Stands Out
Sea buckthorn berries contain roughly 400 mg of vitamin C per 100 grams, about seven times more than an orange. But vitamin C is only part of the picture. The berries also contain carotenoids (the pigments that give them their orange color), vitamin E, and a wide range of plant compounds with antioxidant activity, including flavonoids and tannins.
What makes sea buckthorn genuinely unusual is its fat content. Most fruits contain almost no fat, but sea buckthorn berries produce oil in both their pulp and seeds. The pulp and peel oil is one of the richest natural sources of an omega-7 fatty acid called palmitoleic acid, making up 27% to 43% of the oil depending on the subspecies. This fatty acid is relatively rare in the diet and has been linked to metabolic and cardiovascular benefits. The seed oil, by contrast, contains almost no palmitoleic acid. Instead, it’s rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids: about 30% alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) and around 40% linoleic acid (omega-6).
Berry Oil vs. Seed Oil
Sea buckthorn products are sold as either berry (pulp) oil or seed oil, and these are not interchangeable. They come from different parts of the same plant and have distinct compositions.
- Berry oil is deep orange, rich in palmitoleic acid (omega-7), and high in carotenoids. It’s the one most often used in skin care products and for topical application.
- Seed oil is lighter in color, high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and contains significant vitamin E (about 175 mg per 100 g). It’s more commonly taken as an oral supplement for internal health benefits.
If you’re shopping for sea buckthorn oil, checking which type you’re buying matters. A skin product with seed oil and a skin product with berry oil will behave differently, and the same goes for supplements.
Skin Health and Wound Healing
Sea buckthorn oil has the strongest body of evidence in dermatology. Applied topically, it appears to work through several mechanisms at once: reducing inflammation, neutralizing free radicals from UV exposure, and supporting the production of collagen, the protein that gives skin its structure and elasticity.
In lab and animal studies, compounds from sea buckthorn fruit pulp reduced UV-induced skin damage by scavenging reactive oxygen species and boosting the skin’s own antioxidant defenses. This translated to fewer wrinkles, improved skin texture, and better hydration in tested models. A leaf extract promoted collagen synthesis and increased blood vessel formation in burn wound models, accelerating healing. Seed oil showed similar wound-healing benefits, increasing wound contraction and boosting the proteins needed for tissue repair.
There’s also preliminary evidence for inflammatory skin conditions. In animal models of eczema-like dermatitis, topical sea buckthorn oil reduced skin thickening and inflammation by blocking key inflammatory signaling pathways. Similar results appeared in psoriasis models, where the oil reduced swelling and suppressed inflammatory molecules. These are animal studies, not human trials, so the results are promising rather than proven for clinical use. Still, they help explain why sea buckthorn oil has become a popular ingredient in serums, moisturizers, and healing balms.
Cholesterol and Heart Health
A meta-analysis of 15 randomized controlled trials found that sea buckthorn supplementation improved several markers of heart health. Across the pooled studies, it significantly reduced triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while raising HDL (“good”) cholesterol. However, it had no measurable effect on blood sugar, blood pressure, or BMI. The improvements in blood lipids are meaningful on their own, since elevated triglycerides and LDL are independent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, but sea buckthorn doesn’t appear to be a broad fix for metabolic syndrome overall.
Gut and Stomach Protection
Sea buckthorn oil has a long traditional use for stomach complaints, and research is beginning to clarify why. The oil appears to protect and repair the mucous lining of the stomach, the barrier that keeps digestive acid from damaging the stomach wall. In animal studies of gastric ulcers, sea buckthorn oil promoted healing faster than several standard pharmaceutical treatments. The protective effect likely comes from a combination of antioxidant activity and influence on prostaglandin production, which helps regulate the stomach’s protective mucus layer. A compound in the oil called beta-sitosterol-beta-D-glucoside has been identified as one of the active anti-ulcer components.
Dry Eye Relief
A published clinical trial found that taking sea buckthorn oil orally reduced tear film osmolarity and improved symptoms in people with dry eyes. Tear film osmolarity is a measure of how concentrated and “salty” your tears are; higher values are associated with the burning, gritty feeling of dry eye. The study also examined inflammatory markers in tears and blood, suggesting the benefit may come partly from reducing low-grade inflammation rather than simply adding moisture.
Blood Thinning and Safety Considerations
Certain compounds in sea buckthorn, particularly from leaf and twig extracts, have demonstrated anticoagulant and antiplatelet properties in laboratory studies. Phenolic compounds from the leaves inhibited platelet aggregation (the clumping that starts a blood clot), and extracts from both leaves and twigs extended clotting time when incubated with human plasma. Compounds isolated from the fruit also appeared to inhibit thrombin-stimulated platelet clumping.
For most people, these effects are mild enough to be a non-issue. But if you take blood-thinning medications or have a bleeding disorder, the combination could theoretically increase bleeding risk. It’s also worth pausing supplementation before scheduled surgeries for the same reason.
How It’s Typically Used
Sea buckthorn comes in many forms: capsules of berry or seed oil, liquid oil for topical use, juice, dried berry powder, and tea made from the leaves. In clinical research, oral oil supplementation has been studied at doses ranging from about 1 to 4 grams per day in capsule form, typically split between morning and evening meals. There is no universally agreed-upon dose, and the right amount depends on what you’re using it for and which form you’re taking.
The berry juice is extremely tart and is usually mixed with water or other juices. Topical oil can be applied directly to skin but will stain clothing and skin temporarily due to its deep orange color from carotenoids. Starting with a small amount and patch-testing is reasonable if you have sensitive skin. For supplements, look for products that specify whether they contain berry oil, seed oil, or a blend, since the health effects differ between the two.