Sea Buckthorn: The Orange Vitamin Berry
Sea buckthorn is a thorny coastal shrub with intensely sour orange berries packed with vitamin C — used in Eurasian medicine for 1,200 years.
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a thorny silver-leafed shrub with intensely sour bright orange berries clustered along its branches. Native to the coastal and mountainous regions of Eurasia, the berries have been used in traditional Tibetan, Russian, and Chinese medicine for over 1,200 years. The berries are one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C and contain unusually high omega-7 fatty acids.
Origin and history
Native to Eurasia from coastal Britain to the Himalayas. Used in traditional Tibetan medicine since the 8th century CE. Soviet research in the 20th century identified it as a high-value nutrition crop.
Where it grows today
China, Russia, Mongolia, India, and parts of Central Asia produce commercially. The harsh tartness limits fresh use; most berries are juiced or processed.
How to grow
USDA Zones 3-7. Hardy thorny shrub (2-4m). Tolerates poor soils, salt, and drought. Dioecious — needs male and female plants for pollination.
Bottom line
Visually beautiful, nutritionally extraordinary, painfully sour. Plant for nutrition or as an ornamental tough-as-nails coastal hedge.