What vitamins are found in sea buckthorn?
Sea buckthorn is a real storehouse of vitamins and useful trace elements. The use of sea buckthorn fruits will help to significantly improve the functioning of the body.
Chemical composition
Sea buckthorn has been rightly considered a real medicine since ancient times. Sea buckthorn fruits have been successfully used by people for many centuries. The fact that a tree densely sprinkled with orange berries has a number of beneficial properties for the human body was first learned by residents of Southeast Asia. The popularity of sea buckthorn quickly spread around the world.
Currently, there are a huge number of a wide variety of recipes on how to use sea buckthorn fruits with maximum benefit for the body.
Even doctors are surprised by the vitamin composition of sea buckthorn.
- Its fruits contain quite a lot of provitamin A. Its content is up to 11 mg%. The brighter the color of the fruit, the more they usually contain this useful vitamin.
- Sea buckthorn fruits contain quite a lot of useful substances - carotenoids. These biologically active substances have a beneficial effect on visual acuity.
- The fruits of sea buckthorn are rich in vitamins of group B. So, these wonderful berries contain vitamins B1, B2, B3, B6, B5. These beneficial substances have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system.
- Another important vitamin found in sea buckthorn fruits is ascorbic acid.Vitamin C is a very powerful antioxidant that is essential for good immunity. Due to the high content of ascorbic acid, sea buckthorn fruits are an excellent means of preventing and even treating various colds.
- Sea buckthorn fruits also contain vitamin E. It is a useful antioxidant that normalizes the immune system. Vitamin E also has a positive effect on the functioning of the genital organs. Moreover, the fruits of sea buckthorn are useful for both men and women.
When eating sea buckthorn fruits, you can feel some sweetness. The sweetish taste is due to the fact that the berries contain glucose and fructose. The content of natural sugars is rather low - about 5-6%. The sweetness of the berries depends significantly on the variety of the plant. Some varieties of sea buckthorn have rather sour fruits with a low content of natural sugars, while others are sweeter and more aromatic.
The specific taste of sea buckthorn, familiar to many people since childhood, depends on special organic acids. So, the berries contain grape and malic acids, as well as some others. As a rule, they are contained in a relatively small amount - up to 2.5%. The specific taste of sea buckthorn fruits also depends on the presence of tannins in the fruits. The more of these substances contained in the fruit, the brighter their taste. Tannins give the berries a moderate astringency and even a certain spicy bitterness.
The color of sea buckthorn fruits can be varied. So, there are varieties of sea buckthorn that bear bright yellow or even orange-red berries. Such a bright color is due to the presence in the fruits of a special substance - quercetin.Scientists have determined that sea buckthorn berries also contain pectin, beneficial flavonoids, and even folic acid.
These biologically active substances have a very beneficial effect on the human body. The presence of these useful components makes it possible to use sea buckthorn fruits for the treatment of certain diseases, as well as for the prevention of rather dangerous pathologies.
People who have tried sea buckthorn berries at least once in their lives will definitely note that they felt an oily taste. It appears due to the fact that the fruits of sea buckthorn contain a special fatty oil. In sea buckthorn pits, its content is up to 12%. In the pulp of berries, it is somewhat less - up to 9%. Sea buckthorn oil is a very useful product that has been successfully used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes for a long time.
Sea buckthorn berries also have a special oily taste due to the fact that they also contain healthy fats - triacylglycerides. They, in turn, contain both unsaturated and saturated fatty acids. Biologically active substances found in sea buckthorn fruits include palmitoleic and oleic acids. It should be noted that the oils are contained not only directly in the fruits of this wonderful plant, but also in the leaves. True, the content of fatty oil in them is much lower - only 3%. But sea buckthorn leaves also contain quite a lot of natural vitamin C and more than ten different tannins.
Another useful biologically active substance that sea buckthorn fruits contain is vitamin P. It is necessary to ensure the physiological process of blood clotting.It is very important that this substance regularly enters the human body so that the blood can flow through the blood vessels without forming blood clots and various blood clots. Insufficient consumption of foods containing vitamin P can lead to the development of very dangerous pathologies, including diseases of the cardiovascular system.
In addition to the abundance of vitamins, sea buckthorn fruits contain a wide variety of trace elements. The mineral composition of the fruit is unique. Even one small berry contains several important and useful trace elements from the periodic table, such as:
- boron;
- zinc;
- iron (up to 2 mg);
- manganese;
- calcium (up to 26 mg);
- phosphorus (up to 9 mg);
- magnesium (up to 30 mg);
- potassium (up to 190 mg);
- copper;
- sodium (up to 5 mg).
The use of sea buckthorn fruits can improve mood. Such an interesting discovery was made by scientists, having studied in detail the chemical composition of the "sunny" berries. Sea buckthorn contains a number of useful substances that can increase the blood levels of the main hormone of joy - serotonin.
True, scientists note that to improve mood, the bark of the plant should be used, since these useful substances are contained in it.
Another useful substance that should be noted is beta-sitosterol. This component was revealed in sea buckthorn fruits quite recently. It is very useful, as it protects the human body from the development of atherosclerosis - the process of "blockage" of blood vessels by blood clots.
The nutritional value
The nutrient content depends on the part of the plant. The calorie content of sea buckthorn berries is rather low - only 82 kcal per 100 grams. Fresh sea buckthorn contains up to 1.2 grams of protein and 5.7 grams of fat.The carbohydrate content is typically 5.8 grams. The ratio of food nutrients largely depends on the plant variety. In sweeter berries, as a rule, the content of carbohydrates is slightly higher.
The more oily fruits of sea buckthorn usually contain more fat, so they are often harvested to make sea buckthorn oil, which has a rather rich, bright orange-red color.
Natural sediment may form in sea buckthorn oil, which is quite normal. As a rule, this precipitate dissolves when the oil is heated to a temperature of +40 degrees Celsius. The density of sea buckthorn oil is not less than 0.91 g/cm³ (at a temperature of +20±2 degrees Celsius).
Sea buckthorn oil is a very nutritious and high-calorie product. So, its calorie content is 895 kcal per 100 grams.
Healing properties
The vitamins contained in sea buckthorn have a very positive effect on the entire body as a whole. So, they improve the functioning of the immune system. This important action of healthy berries helps protect the body during the seasonal cold. Regular consumption of sea buckthorn berries in the spring and winter will help reduce the risk of dangerous infections transmitted by airborne droplets.
Sea buckthorn is a real product of youth. The abundance of carotenoids and antioxidants contained in its fruits has a positive effect on cell renewal in the body, and folic acid has a beneficial effect on the processes of natural cell division. It is believed that regular intake of sea buckthorn berries even helps to reduce the risk of developing dangerous malignant neoplasms and tumors.
Since ancient times, it has been known that sea buckthorn berries can have a wound healing effect.Sea buckthorn oil has the same truly healing effect. So, for many years it has been successfully used to treat burns and to heal wounds on the skin. Thanks to sea buckthorn oil, wounds heal faster, and the skin takes on a normal, healthy appearance. Sea buckthorn is actively used in the treatment of a number of gynecological pathologies. Most often, sea buckthorn oil is used to eliminate the adverse symptoms of dangerous pathologies. The external use of this remedy can reduce inflammation in the intimate organs, significantly improving the well-being of a woman.
Sea buckthorn oil is successfully used in gynecology for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the cervix, leading to the development of cervicitis and other dangerous diseases. An oil prepared from sea buckthorn fruits is also prescribed for the treatment of cervical erosion. It helps to reduce inflammation and favorably affects the healing of the eroded neck area. Before carrying out such local treatment, a woman should definitely see her gynecologist and discuss this method of therapy with him.
Vitamins and microelements contained in sea buckthorn berries have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. So, drinks or jams made from sea buckthorn will help reduce the development of a heart attack or stroke. Mature and elderly people should pay attention to these useful fruits.
Contraindications
Like many plants, sea buckthorn can not only bring great benefits to the body, but even harm it. To reduce possible adverse effects, people with certain contraindications should not use sea buckthorn fruits.People with any medical condition should consult their doctor before consuming sea buckthorn. One of the contraindications to the use of sea buckthorn fruits is the presence of allergies.
It should be noted that The brightly colored fruits of the sea buckthorn tree contain quite a lot of biologically active substances that can become strong allergens. Moreover, allergic reactions provoked by the use of sea buckthorn berries can occur in both adults and children. Not only the use of sea buckthorn fruits, but also the use of sea buckthorn oil externally can lead to the appearance of adverse allergy symptoms.
Another contraindication for the use of sea buckthorn fruits is the presence of exacerbations of certain diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The fact is that sea buckthorn berries, especially fresh ones, contain quite a lot of various natural acids. In some forms of gastritis, they can provoke an increase in pain in the abdomen. People suffering from various diseases of the gastrointestinal tract should use sea buckthorn berries for internal use only after prior consultation with a gastroenterologist or therapist.
Doctors say that sea buckthorn should be used with caution in children. Babies with a tendency to develop allergic pathologies should not be given compotes and fruit drinks made from sea buckthorn fruits. The risk of exacerbation of allergies after eating berries is quite high.
You will learn about the benefits and harms of sea buckthorn in the following video.