Seabuckthorn-- Make Skin Glow Like Crazy
For several decades, the beneficial properties of seabuckthorn have been largely ignored. In contrast, this paper will review the contributions made by several researchers who have shed light over the fact that the seabuckthorn group is actually large and diverse, as well as greatly beneficial for human health.
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae) is a hardy bush of the Elaegnaceae family classified into nine subspecies, from which Hipopphae rhamnoides L. subsp sinensis and Hippophae rhamnoides L. subsp rhamnoides are the most applied to commercial purposes. It is a deciduous spiny species distributed all over the temperate zone of Asia and Europe, as well as over subtropical zones at high altitude. Its products, particularly the oil obtained from the seed and the soft parts of the plant, contain an interesting composition of lipophilic compounds. In relation to the oil composition, sea buckthorn is characterized by a unique mixture of bioactive components, being one of them the fatty acids. In general, the oil obtained from seed is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, while in the pulp oils are predominantly fatty acids from the omega-7 group. Although the prevalence of fatty acids in the different parts is well established, there could be variations depending on the subspecies, harvesting time and method of isolation. Several mechanisms of oil extraction are used, solvent extraction using hexane and supercritical CO2 being the most common in industrial and laboratory scale. In any case, several studies of fatty acids contained in sea buckthorn oil reveal that it may play an important role in very different aspects in relation to the human body, such as cardiovascular disorders, as a stimulator of the immune system, as well as promoting cognitive functions and bone health. Moreover, it may be important to improve various skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis, acne skin or psoriasis.
