SEABUCKTHORN is a thorny bush, found abundantly in Balochistan, NWFP and the Northern Areas. It is traditionally used as a source of fuel and fencing. At the same time it is estimated to have enough vitamin C in its berries to meet the dietary requirements of the entire human population. It is also reported to contain more than 190 compounds in the seeds, pulp, fruit and juice. These compounds carry high-level of medicinal and commercial value. Subsequently, Seabuckthorn products constitute billions of dollars worth of industry in China, Russia, parts of Europe and North America. In China, there are currently around 200 factories that are producing an equal variety of medicinal, cosmetic and food products.
In 1996 a Chinese seabuckthron expert, Professor Lu Rongin, after a rapid assessment of seabuckthorn growing areas in Gilgit, Chitral, Skardu and Swat estimated the current stock of Seabuckthorn in Pakistan at around 3,000 hectors, that promised a harvest of 1,200 tons to 2,500 tons annually. He mentioned that Pakistan has very suitable habitats and climatic mix for even cultivation of seabuckthorn.
Following his assessment, Ministry of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with ICIMOD initiated a demonstration project under the National Arid Land Development & Research Institute. The project achieved decent success in introducing the plant and its commercial value to local farmers, enticing them to manage and market this important natural resource. A solvent extraction plant was also established to facilitate the farmers in Skardu, where the Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR), has a huge office. However, due to reasons best known to the Ministry, the project was wound up without widely sharing the experience at the national level, and without any concrete follow-up measures to sustain the efforts by enabling the farmers and the private sector.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Seabuckthorn provides a hope for a healthy diet, with more than 190 compounds in the seeds, pulp, fruit and juice. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin E, trace minerals and other photochemical combination of minerals, that makes the seabuckthorn an ideal dietary constituent for health and provides for excellent products like juice, jellies, marmalades, candies and even liqueurs!
In the years to come, there might be a time, when we’ll be paying some attention to seabuckthorn and similar natural products for the sake of quality. In many developed countries the “natural food products” industry, which includes fresh and organic foods and beverages, dietary supplements and “all natural” personal healthcare products, is growing at a steady rate of over 15 per cent annually.
In Latin Hippophae rhamnoides (seabuckthron) means “shining horse,” a term coined centuries ago after noticing that horses, fed seabuckthorn, were healthier and their hair shinier. However, historically Chinese were the first to use seabuckthorn as a drug. A classical Tibetan medical book Sibu Yidian, of four volumes and 158 chapters altogether; of these, thirty chapters deal with seabuckthorn’s medicinal usage. Sibu Yidian was translated into Mongolian in the 18th century and was later on translated into many European languages till it was published in Russia in St. Petersburg in 1903. In 1952, the interest of the Chinese was revived in the plant and the Sichuan Medical College led the research work. The Preliminary Research Finding on Seabuckthorn berries was published in 1956. However, it was only in 1977 that seabuckthorn was formally marketed as medicine. From 1985 to date Chinese scientific research has progressed by leaps and bounds in exciting discovery of its multipurpose usage.
Seabuckthorn is of shiny deciduous leaf and colourful berries, the average height of the plant being about 2-4 meters, although some cultivated species in China have reportedly reached over 15m. Both male and female species exists; the female plants carry berries that are usually orange, yellow or reddish in colour and have a sour taste. Cultivated varieties are found in the former USSR, Mongolia, Germany, Finland, Russia, China, Scandinavia, Canada among others. In China, the fruit is harvested from over 2.5 million acres of wild seabuckthorn and almost 750,000 acres of cultivated plants. In Canada, over 182 hectares are being planted with seabuckthorn.
MEDICINAL VALUE: Scientists claim that seabuckthorn contains biologically active substances with pharmacological effects on the cardiovascular and the immune system and anti-senility, anti-inflammation and anti-radiation effect, etc. It is said that the seabuckthorn products are extremely effective to improve immunity, normalize metabolism of cholesterol, removing blood stasis, treatment of gastric ulcer, lever and cardiovascular and intestinal diseases. Although research on the medical use of seabuckthorn is till going on, but in countries like China, Canada and various European states, seabuckthorn is already a popular mode of medication for a range of diseases. Bioactive oil is being extracted from leaves to make ointment for treating a wide variety of skin problems such as burns, bedsores, eczema, and radiation. In Russia, for instance, many Chernobyl victims were reportedly treated with seabuckthorn. Its berries are high in essential fatty acids that are important for the maintenance of a healthy skin. The oil absorbs ultraviolet light, and since the oil is also known to be useful for promoting skin health, it is particularly suitable for sun-care cosmetics. The plant is an excellent cure for a various types of cancers and an effective medicine for, what has become Pakistan’s national illness; blood pressure!
ECOLOGICAL VALUE: Soil and watershed runoffs are two of the fourteen core areas recommended for improved environmental management by the Pakistan’s National Conservation Strategy. Seabuckthorn, because of its extensive root system is an ideal plant in reclaiming and conserving soil, especially on fragile mountainous slopes. It has a good resistant to drought and tolerates soil salinity, extreme temperatures and adjusts well in demanding conditions. In the Northern Areas and NWFP it is usually found along the riverbanks and on the land deposited by glaciers and streams. There the plant not only binds the soil but also provides for breaking the intensity of wind, which is blown away along with the fertile soil. The thorny shrub provides refuge to wildlife and acts as a barrier to pedestrian traffic, preventing sensitive vegetation from being trampled. Seabuckthorn carries excellent nitrogen-fixing capabilities preventing the loss of soil and biodiversity. Seabuckthorn is also considered useful a resistant to pests, thus in many cases it limits the use of pesticides damaging to the environment.
Traditionally, it has been used either for fencing, protecting orchards and fields against stray animals, or it has been used as a fuel wood in the northern Pakistan. In Gilgit and Blatistan for instance, people still use dry seabuckthorn plants to ignite traditional heaters or fuel to cook food during the winter. In Gilgit and Hunza the plant is known as Bru and in Baltistan it is called Zhok, which comes to mean thorn. The plants were usually considered a freely available wood source instead of cutting fruit trees or forest for fuel purposes. On the other hand, seabuckthorn is a fast growing species, which means pruning for fuel does not mean an end of the plant as its roots regenerate quickly and continue to stop soil erosion. Thus, seabuckthorn is an excellent landscape management tool.
On the other hand, it has been observed that in villages around Skardu where commercial value has become known, farmers have started to protect the plantations by erecting fences and investing time and attention to take care of the once most useless plant on their land.
The magic plant does have the potential of offsetting food, health and ecological adversity in Pakistan. Only if the policy, research and development circles moves in time to secure the potential of this emerging means of livelihood, before it is prematurely snatched from poor farmers by the WTO regime.
