Hippophae rhamnoides

Sea buckthorn/Nutrient Depletion:

  • Bile acidsBile acids: In subjects with cirrhosis, sea buckthorn supplementation reduced serum levels of total bile acids (62).
  • Fatty acidsFatty acids: In human research, ingestion of sea buckthorn decreased the proportion of palmitic acid in skin glycerophospholipids (84).
  • GlucoseGlucose: In overweight or obese subjects, sea buckthorn berries reduced plasma glucose (51). In normal mice, flavonoids from sea buckthorn seed residue and fruit residue decreased blood glucose (64). However, in normolipidemic men, sea buckthorn oil lacked a significant effect on serum glucose compared to coconut oil (control) (31). More recent human trials of higher quality have found mixed results, with a higher glucose response observed with dried sea buckthorn berries compared to the control at 90 minutes postingestion, but no significant effect on plasma glucose with ingestion of sea buckthorn extracted with CO2 or sea buckthorn extracted with CO2 and ethanol (76).
  • LipidsLipids: The effects of sea buckthorn on lipids are unclear. In animal research, sea buckthorn flavonoids and seed residues have been found to reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels (64; 39; 21). However, in human research, sea buckthorn preparations (berries, berry oil, phenolic extract) lacked an effect on lipid concentrations, particularly LDL cholesterol levels; however, increases in HDL were noted (79; 31; 30; 4; 24; 51).
  • ProteinsProteins: In overweight or obese subjects, sea buckthorn berry oil reduced levels of adiponectin (51). In subjects with cirrhosis, sea buckthorn supplementation reduced serum levels of collagen types III and IV and laminin (62).