Sea Buckthorn: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Beauty

Sea buckthorn has a rich and enduring history when it comes to skin care. The vibrant, fiery jewel-toned berry has been loved for its many benefits for centuries, not the least of which is sea buckthorn’s ability to promote healthy and radiant skin. Sea buckthorn is packed with omega 7, antioxidants, and vitamins, all of which are great for skin health. While sea buckthorn has been gaining popularity in recent years, it turns out our ancestors already knew the powers this little berry packs. 

We have been loving the attention that sea buckthorn has been receiving, but it’s important to acknowledge sea buckthorn as a time-honored treasure and not just a current health trend. Early evidence of sea buckthorn being used for beauty and health purposes dates back as far as ancient Greece, and also in ancient Ayurvedic texts dating back as far as 5000 BC.

In these ancient texts, sea buckthorn is mentioned in hundreds of uses of preparations for health and beauty, which had us curious and wanting to take a deeper look at sea buckthorn and beauty through the ages.

One of the earliest and most popular stories of sea buckthorn for beauty is attributed to ancient Greece. The stories tell us that horses, after serving their soldiers in battle, were set out in the hills to live out the rest of their lives and die a natural death. These horses had been through the battles of war and were generally in poor health.

While in these fields and hills, the horses discovered sea buckthorn and were known to nibble on the berries. When the soldiers returned to where the horses were, they found that the animals were not only healthy and robust, with renewed strength and muscle mass, but that their coats were also healthy and shiny to the point of being described as radiant.

The impact was so noticeable that the plant was named Hippophae rhamnoides, which translates roughly to shiny horse. Word about sea buckthorn spread fast, or at least as fast as it could during the time, and soon the beautifying properties of sea buckthorn were being explored across the region.

• Greece: Alexander the Great, Theophrastus ( a student of Aristotle), and the Greek father of pharmacology, Pedanius Dioscorides, have all noted the healing power of sea buckthorn in ancient Greek texts, including the De Materia Medica, which was a multi-volume pharmacological encyclopedia which was considered the authority in Greek herbal medicine for more than a thousand years. 
  
  
• Tibet: In Tibet, sea buckthorn has often been referred to as the “holy fruit”. Sea buckthorn berries have been used for medicinal and beauty purposes in Tibet for hundreds of years. The fruit is seen as particularly beneficial for treating and healing skin issues, from blemishes and dryness to wound healing. 
  
  
• Mongolia: Sea buckthorn has been impactful to Mongolian culture, both economically and medicinally, for centuries. The healing power of sea buckthorn was seen as sacred in Mongolian culture. During the harsh winters, sea buckthorn was consumed to enhance the immune system, and the berries were turned into a rich syrup that was used to treat coughs and congestion. The nutrient profile of sea buckthorn also makes it an ideal winter-skin treatment, which helps to protect skin during the harshest season in Mongolia. 
  
  
• India: Wild sea buckthorn shrubs can be found in the northern regions of India, and is still to this day, thought of as a time-honored secret to vitality and beauty. The centuries-long use of sea buckthorn can be seen in Amchi, which is a traditional medicine disciple of Ladakh. 

After venturing into the past, we can fast forward to the future where we can imagine the cultural and medical chronicles of today making mention of the various ways we use sea buckthorn to enhance beauty and health.

Sea buckthorn offers a nutritional profile that makes it unique, being one of the richest sources of omega 7 in the entire world, and offering a strong antioxidant profile, along with a not insignificant amount of vitamins and nutrients. These qualities are what make sea buckthorn such a wonderful natural approach to skin care.

Sea buckthorn has gained popularity in recent years, and science is really beginning to dive into the potential of this fruit. Still, while we value and highly respect the science that goes into discovering sea buckthorn’s potential and confirming its safety, what stands out to us is how sea buckthorn has withstood the test of time.

Beauty is more than a reflection in the mirror. It’s also about health, vitality, and understanding that beauty is more than skin deep. Sea buckthorn can support beauty and health from the inside out. Omega 7 supplements and sea buckthorn-infused body and facial care products are a way to not only support our own health and beautiful skin but also connect us to our ancestors through a shared appreciation of one of nature’s beauties.