China is the richest country in the world in terms of sea buckthorn resources, and sea buckthorn of different origins and varieties contain different components and contents. The fruits of sea buckthorn are the medicines listed in the Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China, which are recognized by the State Construction as the resources for dual-use of medicine and food. Therefore, the research and utilization of the fruits have been paid attention to by everyone, and there are more and more beverages, foodstuffs, health care products and medicines processed from the fruits. However, the utilization of sea buckthorn leaves is not too much at present.

According to the literature, sea buckthorn leaves, like sea buckthorn berries, are rich in nutrients and physiologically active substances, including proteins, polysaccharides, organic acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, amino acids, carotenoids, chlorophylls and trace elements, etc. The content of amino acids is relatively rich, with more than 20 kinds of amino acids, and more than 20 kinds of chlorophylls.

There are more than 20 kinds of amino acids, among which the content of essential amino acids is high. Arginine, which is used in liver coma rescue drugs, and histidine, which is used in the treatment of duodenal ulcer, have considerable content in sea buckthorn leaves.

Sea buckthorn leaves contain trace elements needed by human body, such as: Fe, Mg, Ca, Zn, Mo, K and other elements are more varieties and higher content, magnesium, iron content in sea buckthorn leaves is much higher than the content of daily fruits and vegetables, and the content of potassium is less than that of spinach, which can be comparable with other fruits and vegetables.

Effects of sea buckthorn leaves

1.Regulate blood lipid

Professor Teng Xiaoping of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine has proved that: research shows that the flavonoid glycosides in sea buckthorn leaves have the similar effect of regulating blood lipids as that of ginkgo biloba flavonoid glycosides, the flavonoid glycosides in sea buckthorn leaves are easily soluble in water, which can be used in the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia, and the total flavonoids in sea buckthorn have the functions of increasing coronary artery blood flow, decreasing myocardial oxygen consumption, inhibiting platelet aggregation, anti-tumor, regulating immunity, and so on.

—- is extracted from International Journal of Sea Buckthorn Research and Development, Issue 3, 2013, “Review of Sea Buckthorn Leaf Research”.

2. Laxative

Professor Lian Yongshan of Northwest Normal University proved that the leaves of sea buckthorn are rich in many kinds of bioactive substances, among which there are components of vitamin B that can promote the synthesis of acetylcholine, which can maintain the normal peristalsis of the gastrointestinal tract and the secretion of digestive juices, which is favorable for digestion and the discharge of intestinal contents.

—Extracted from the third issue of Seabuckthorn in 2007, “Bioactive substances of seabuckthorn plants and their main physiological and pharmacological functions”.

3. Remove nitrite and prevent cancer

Nitrosamine is one of the strongest chemical carcinogens known to date, which can cause malignant tumors in many organs such as human and animal livers. Nitrite in the human stomach, more suitable for the synthesis of nitrosamines. Therefore, removing nitrite from the body is an effective way to prevent cancer. Experimentally, it was proved that 5.0g of sea buckthorn leaf extract’s ability to remove nitrite was basically equal to that of 0.4ml ascorbic acid on nitrite.

—Excerpted from Food Industry Science and Technology, 2006, No.3, “Research on the scavenging ability of sea buckthorn leaves on nitrite”.

4.Scavenging free radicals and delaying aging

It is proved that the total flavonoids of sea buckthorn leaves have obvious anti-aging effect, and its mechanism of action may be related to its inhibition of brain MAO-B activity, reduction of free radical reaction, enhancement of body immune function and improvement of nucleic acid metabolism level.

–Extracted from Experimental study on the anti-aging effect of total flavonoids in sea buckthorn leaves, Seabuckthorn, No.2, 1998.

–Abstracted from Chinese herbal medicine, 2006, No.2.

5. Expectorant, cough suppressant and asthma reliever

Prof. Wang Bingwen and others from the Department of Medicine of Xi’an Jiaotong University (former Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Xi’an Medical University) experimentally proved that the ethyl acetate extract of sea buckthorn leaves has obvious expectorant, antipyretic and asthmatic effects.

–Expectorant, antipyretic and asthmatic effects of ethyl acetate extract of sea buckthorn leaves, Northwest Journal of Pharmacy, 1996, No.1.

6. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects

The test results of Jiao Chao and Yin Lijun from China Agricultural University in 2007 showed that the total flavonoids of ethanol extract of Chinese sea buckthorn leaves had significantly better antibacterial effect than that of aqueous extract, and had good inhibitory effect on six kinds of test organisms: Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Proteus mirabilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus cereus, and Bacillus cereus, especially the strongest inhibitory effect on Proteus mirabilis and Bacillus cereus. In particular, the strongest inhibitory effect was observed on S. cerevisiae and B. subtilis.

—Extraction of flavonoids from sea buckthorn leaves and research on antibacterial effect, Food Science, 2007, No.8.

Application of sea buckthorn leaf

1.Sea buckthorn leaf oil

Research shows that using liquid dioxide to extract sea buckthorn shoots and leaves, an olive-colored greasy liquid with the fragrance of sea buckthorn oil can be obtained, among which 24%~45% of the bioactive substances are vitamin E, P vitamins, B vitamins, vitamin C, choline and organic acids.

In view of the broad-spectrum effect of these bioactive substances, the liquid carbon dioxide extract of sea buckthorn shoots and leaves can also be widely used in the production of medicine, spices and cosmetics.

2.Sea buckthorn leaf tea

The sea buckthorn leaf tea in the market nowadays includes the sea buckthorn leaf tea which is fried by craftsmanship, sea buckthorn green leaf tea which is directly cooled and dried, sea buckthorn black tea which is fermented and sea buckthorn porcupine tea which is similar to black tea which is intentionally cultivated with “Scattered saccharomyces cerevisiae” in the process of production.

Some of them are made into pu-erh shape, some are bagged tea, and some of them are made into barley green juice-like beverage by directly squeezing the juice from the young leaves of sea buckthorn branches.

There is also sea buckthorn leaf tea which has been tested for its health care function. See International Sea Buckthorn Research and Development and other related materials.

3.Sea buckthorn leaf powder, sea buckthorn matcha tea

The young leaves of sea buckthorn in spring are made into cake tea (mass tea) after being killed by steam. Before eating, put it on fire to bake and dry again, and grind it into powder by natural stone mill or machine.

Experiments have proved that eating tea can draw more nutrients than drinking tea, and the nutrients in a bowl of matcha are more than 30 cups of ordinary green tea, so almost none of the teachers of the Japanese Tea Ceremony lived a long life. Changing from drinking tea to eating tea is not only a reform of eating habits, but also a need to adapt to the fast-paced modern life.

In the modern world, it is more often used to make exquisite food, widely used in baking desserts and so on. In the south of my fruit, Taiwan, as well as Japan, South Korea sea buckthorn matcha dessert is very popular. At present, some daily edible products and so on are also adding sea buckthorn leaf powder.

And there are a lot of franchise brands specializing in making matcha desserts.

4. Sea buckthorn leaf extract

The total flavonoid content of sea buckthorn leaves is higher than that of sea buckthorn berries. Flavonoids occupy a very important position in the development of medicine. Its medical value is far more valuable than gold.

The applications of flavonoids include: application in health food, for the development of pharmaceutical products, application in food additives and so on.

With the continuous expansion of the planting base, sea buckthorn leaves have a good market prospect as the initial and long-term economic development.