Seabuckthorn (Hippophae Rhamnoides) is an extraordinary plant that has exceptional medicinal and nutritional benefits. The use of sea buckthorn and its oils for medical and pharmaceutical purposes has its roots in ancient Tibet.
The restorative action of the Seabuckthorn oil may be in part due to its high content of essential fatty acids, carotenes, tocopherols and phytosterols, which are all important for the maintenance of a healthy skin. The EFA content in the seabuckthorn oil is 80 - 95%. Major EFAs are oleic and linoleic. Others are pentadecenoic, palmitoleic, heptadecenoic, linolenic, eicosenoic, eicosadienoic, erucic and nervonic. Among the carotenes found in Seabuckthorn are alfa- and beta-carotenes, lycopene, cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin, taraxanthin and phytofluin. Tocopherols are mostly vitamin E and gamma-tocopherol. Phytosterols of sea buckthorn include beta-sitosterol, beta-amirol and erithrodiol.