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A Brief History of Sea Buckthorn

 

Sea Buckthorn is grown primarily in the mountainous and coastal areas of eastern Europe and China and records of it date back to ancient Greek times. It is mentioned in the writings of ancient Greek scholars, such as Theophrastus and Dioscorides.  According to ancient Greek legend, sea buckthorn was a key part of the diet for racehorses; this and its ability to do wonders for the horses’ outer appearance led to its generic name Hippophaë, which means “shiny horse.” It has also been said that sea buckthorn leaves were one of the preferred foods of the mythical flying horse, Pegasus.

 

Genghis Khan marched his unstoppable armies across Asia.  It is said that the warlord had a nutritional trick up his sleeve - a simple, tart berry called sea buckthorn. 

 

Russian cosmonauts used Sea Buckthorn to protect against radiation and it is widely used to treat frostbite and much more.  Finland has derived a very popular alcoholic drink from the berry and the juice is used throughout Europe and Asia. Also used in baby food.

 

For centuries, European and Asian cultures have used the medicinal properties of sea buckthorn. Its medicinal value was recorded as early as the eighth century in the Tibetan medical classic rGyud Bzi. Traditional Chinese Medicine’s use of sea buckthorn also dates back centuries. And today, “Hippophaë” has become such a major resource in China that three sea buckthorn organizations exist and sponsor the journal Hippophaë, published since 1988.  Due to sea buckthorn’s rich history of medicinal use, in the past few decades scientists have carried out extensive research on the medicinal ingredients of the sea buckthorn berry.

 

Beijing Olympics Chinese athletes relied on beverages made from the berries to boost their strength, endurance, and overall health during competition. 

 

Sea Buckthorn has been discovered in centuries-old medicinal texts in Tibet and China. It was used to treat coughing, digestive problems, skin issues, wounds and burns, even cancer in some cases.

 

Recently, science has come to discover its remarkably dense nutritional content.

 

Google it.  We are only providing the tip of the “information iceberg” within this site when it comes to the many properties of Sea Buckthorn.  Search the web to discover more detailed data, technical papers, uses and to do your own research on the benefits of this plant.  It will be time well spent.

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