Hippophae rhamnoides

Hippophae rhamnoides, “Sea buckthorn” in English and “Argousier” in French, belongs to the Elaeagnaceae botanical family. It is a spiky shrub growing to 6 m, native from Europe to Japan and the Himalayas, forming thickets on fixed dunes and sea cliffs.

The fruit is eaten raw or cooked and used in the food and cosmetic industry.

It has also been extensively used in folk medicine for slow digestion, stomach malfunctioning, cardiovascular problems, liver injury, tendon and ligament injuries, skin diseases and ulcers.

Among its main constituents are hippophae cerebroside, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, 19-α-hydroxyursolic acid, dulcioic acid, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarbox-aldehyde, cirsiumaldehyde, octacosanoic acid, palmitic acid and 1-O-hexadecanolenin.

• English name Sea buckthorn
• Chinese name Shaji