What do the states mean?+
- Solid: well studied, and it works.
- Half-there: the science is still forming.
- A ghost: almost no real studies.
- Hollow: well studied, and it does not work.
- A cord: the pair itself has been tested together.
- Air: nobody has ever tested this pair.
The full scoring method: How we score
Sea buckthorn benefits: where the science stands
For skin, hair and nails: not settled yet.
Skin, hair and nails are what most people take sea buckthorn for, and the strongest evidence says it helps (a combined review). As of August 2026, the verdicts on this page rest on evidence from 5 trials, drawn from the strongest research among the 35 papers on PubMed that mention sea buckthorn. Every claim is checked below.
35 papers on PubMed · evidence from 5 trials
Claim by claim
- Skin, hair and nailsThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- Blood pressureThe science is still forming. No real difference found so far.
- Blood sugarThe science is still forming. No real difference found so far.
- CholesterolThe science is still forming. The best studies disagree.
See 3 more scored claims+
- InflammationAlmost no real studies. Nothing clear so far.
- Menopause symptomsThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- Weight and body fatThe science is still forming. No real difference found so far.
Pairs people ask about
The five sources we read
- 2013Crossover trial · 80 people · no clear effect on cholesterolsource
- 2013Crossover trial · 45 people · no clear effect on inflammationsource
- 2014Randomized trial · 116 people · benefit for menopause symptomssource
- 2019Meta-analysis · benefit for skin, hair and nailssource
- 2022Meta-analysis · no clear effect on blood pressure; no clear effect on blood sugar; moderate benefit for cholesterol; no clear effect on weight and body fatsource
Chosen as the strongest evidence out of 35 papers on PubMed. Every row links to its paper.
Fair questions
Does sea buckthorn work?+
For skin, hair and nails, it is not settled. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
Is sea buckthorn safe?+
No caution is recorded on this page. That is not a safety guarantee; the studies we read were not safety trials.
Why only 5 sources, when PubMed lists 35?+
The 35 is every paper that mentions sea buckthorn in any way: animal studies, blood measurements, papers where it is a side note. The strongest sources are combined reviews, and each one already gathers every trial its authors could find. Our 5 cover 5 trials between them, and every one is linked above. Both counts are measured, not estimated.