Seaberry Benefits
A list and table provided by Whole Systems Design, LCC: http://www.wholesystemsdesign.com/wsd-seaberry-products/
- Exceptional essential fatty acid content.
- Nitrogen fixer
- Hardy from USDA zones 3 (maybe 2b) to 7 for sure, probably 8 (I’ve seen growing in Tuscany Italy and have heard first hand reports of them growing in central Canada where it gets to -50F)
- Nearly deer proof (very resistant to browse once established and even early on with thorns present)
- All parts medicinal from leaves to fruit to bark (non fruit parts used as a tea for centuries)
- Fast growing and drought tolerant
- Soil hardy – we’ve grown them well in everyting from sandy to heavy dense clay
- Birds do not harvest them much if at all
- But great bird nest habitat
- Needs full to 3/4 day sun minimum
- Exceptionally wind hardy – great wind heedge and snow fence
- Salt tolerant – grows on Siberian coastal dunes
- Bears every year, bears at a young age
- Flowers hardy to below 20F – exceptionally reliable and resilient in the face of late frosts
- Maintenance free once established -no need to prune
Constituents of Sea Buckthorn Fruit (per 100 grams fresh berries) | |
Vitamin C | 200-1,500 mg (typical amount: 600 mg) |
Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) | Up to 180 mg (equal to about 270 IU) |
Folic acid | Up to 80 mcg |
Carotenoids, including beta carotene, lycopene, zeaxanthine; these contribute the yellow-orange-red colors of the fruit | 30-40 mg |
Fatty acids (oils); the main unsaturated fatty acids are oleic acid (omega-9), palmitoleic acid (omega-7), palmitic acid and linoleic acid (omega-6), and linolenic acid (omega-3); there are also saturated oils and sterols (mainly β-sitosterol) | 6-11% (3-5% in fruit pulp, 8-18% in seed); fatty acid composition and total oil content vary with subspecies |
Organic acids other than ascorbic (e.g., quinic acid, malic acid; ingredients similar to those found in cranberries) | Quantity not determined; expressed juice has pH of 2.7-3.3 |
Flavonoids (e.g., mainly isorhamnetin, quercetin glycosides, and kaempferol; these are the same flavonoids as found in Ginkgo biloba. | 100-1,000 mg (0.1% to 1.0%) |