Sea buckthorn – the lemon of the north

What is sea buckthorn? What does the sea buckthorn berry taste like? How healthy is sea buckthorn? And how do you transform the trendy drink Aperol spritz into a sea buckthorn spritz? Read on to find out more.

The key points

You can eat sea buckthorn raw and cooked.
Sea buckthorn is noted for having a very high vitamin C content.
The vitamins and antioxidants it contains are beneficial to your health. Sea buckthorn oil can have a positive effect on your skin.
There’s a wide variety of sea buckthorn products such as juice, jam, soup, tea or liqueur.
But just because a product states it is sea buckthorn, this doesn’t always mean it contains much sea buckthorn.

The effect of sea buckthorn

Sea buckthorn originates from Nepal. But it’s also been growing in Central Europe and Germany since the Ice Age. It is found within Bavaria, but also in most locations along the coast, such as on the island of Rügen.

At first, sea buckthorn looks quite off-putting because of its thorny branches. But you can eat the small, orange fruit both raw and cooked.

Sea buckthorn has a high vitamin C content. You can meet your daily requirement with just a few teaspoons of sea buckthorn juice. This is also why the berry is known as the “lemon of the north”. With its high vitamin content, it outshines plenty of citrus fruits.

Its other ingredients are vitamin E, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium and vitamin B2.

This means that sea buckthorn can strengthen the immune system, help alleviate colds and can have an anti-inflammatory effect.

We can only agree with the notion that sea buckthorn helps you lose weight to a limited extent. That’s because you can’t lose weight just by consuming the berry. Nevertheless, sea buckthorn can play its part in contributing to a healthy diet. The vitamins and antioxidants it contains can have a positive effect on your body.

Its antioxidants can protect against cell damage.

You should view advertising claims about sea buckthorn that promise great things with caution because there’s not enough scientific evidence to back them up. Nevertheless, the ingredients contained in sea buckthorn berries are healthy for your body.

Sea buckthorn oil is known to make wounds heal faster. It also contains lots of healthy, unsaturated fatty acids. It’s said to protect against heart disease and have a positive effect on your immune system, bones and cell protection. Sea buckthorn is also claimed to be beneficial for your intestinal and heart health. Externally, sea buckthorn oil supposedly helps combat spots, acne and skin ageing.

When you buy sea buckthorn, look for organic quality to avoid potential pesticide contamination.

Sea buckthorn products

Given their slightly sour and bitter taste, it’s better for sea buckthorn berries to be processed. Instead of consuming sea buckthorn raw, you can enjoy it in the form of a juice, jam, tea or soup.

You can use sea buckthorn to make a wide range of different products.

Drinks include sea buckthorn liqueur, which you can enjoy neat or as a sea buckthorn spritz. Other products such as sea buckthorn oil, hair oil and skincare products are also available on the market. Sea buckthorn can be contained in lots of different food products or cosmetics.

You can buy sea buckthorn juice in the supermarket or make it yourself.

The best way to do this is to pick and process the berries yourself.

Sea buckthorn juice is very easy to incorporate into your diet. Whether you add the berry to your smoothie, curd, yoghurt or homemade muesli for breakfast, substitute it for lemon in cakes or mix it with water to create a sea buckthorn spritzer, you can use it in many different ways.

Sea buckthorn and sea buckthorn products can be well worth considering, both because of the positive ingredients they contain and the flavour they deliver. Try it out!

Be aware that, just because sea buckthorn appears on the list of ingredients, this doesn’t necessarily mean that a product contains large quantities of sea buckthorn. Often the quantities are so small that their effect on your body may be minimal. Note the percentage or preferably make your own products so that you know exactly what they contain.

Ingredients for a sea buckthorn spritz

40 ml sea buckthorn liqueur

60 ml Prosecco

1 tbsp mineral water

1 slice orange

Plenty of ice cubes

Sea buckthorn spritz

A refreshing Aperol is a popular drink, especially in summer. But how about a slightly modified version for a change on a Saturday evening? Give a sea buckthorn spritz a try.

How to prepare a sea buckthorn spritz:

Pour ice cubes into your wine glass up to the brim. Drain off any excess water that melts so you don’t unnecessarily dilute the drink. Then pour in the liquid, chilled ingredients and garnish with a slice of orange. Then enjoy this delicious drink outside on your patio.

Ingredients for a sea buckthorn and pumpkin soup:

200 g sea buckthorn berries

1 leek

250 g carrots

250 g Hokkaido pumpkin

150 g potatoes

3 tbsp rapeseed oil

700 ml water

2 tsp salt

1 tsp apple or pear syrup

2 tsp pumpkin seeds for decoration

Sea buckthorn and pumpkin soup

The sea buckthorn season starts in the autumn. You can also process sea buckthorn berries when they’re super-fresh: traditionally you can make a jam or liqueur, but sea buckthorn can also provide a hint of freshness in a slightly sweet soup.

How to prepare a sea buckthorn and pumpkin soup:

1. Wash the sea buckthorn and purée with a little water to create a paste.

2. Pass the paste through a sieve.

3. Wash the leek and chop into rings.

4. Wash the carrots thoroughly and cut into cubes with the skin still on.

5. Wash the Hokkaido, cut open, remove the seeds and dice finely.

6. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.

7. Heat the olive oil, sauté the leek and then stir around.

8. Add the carrots and pumpkin and sauté while you continue to stir.

9. Add the potatoes and pour on the water.

10. Season and simmer for around 25 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

11. Also purée the full vegetable mixture and mix together with the sea buckthorn paste.