Health benefits of sea buckthorn for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases

Sea buckthorn is a natural source of vitamins and several other bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and flavonoids, which have been claimed to lower cholesterol, platelet aggregation, blood pressure and blood sugar. In addition, sea buckthorn is considered to be useful in treating tumours, stomach ulcers, skin diseases and arsenic poisoning. Accumulating evidence suggests that sea buckthorn is a promising plant that could serve as a natural remedy for the reduction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and other health related problems such as diabetes, inflammatory diseases, thrombosis and cancer. However, double blind clinical trials need to be conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sea buckthorn products in the prevention and therapy of CVD as well as other medical conditions. This mini review is focused on the beneficial effects of sea buckthorn with particular emphasis on the preventive and therapeutic aspects of CVD. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.