Sea buckthorn, also known as sandthorn, seaberry and sallowthorn, is a herb that is grown in Skardu, Hunza, Chitral, and Gilgit and is used as a medicine for at least 70 diseases and has been used by villagers for centuries.
Traditionally, the plant is used as medicine for blood pressure, cholesterol, asthma, ulcers, hepatitis, digestion and healing skin damage such as burns, rashes, cuts and sunburn. Women also use it as makeup or sunblock.
Recently, during the Covid-19 pandemic there has been a massive increase in the demand for the herb for its immunity enhancing properties.
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Sea buckthorn is a deciduous shrub found across Europe and Asia. It produces small orange berries once a year, which are then turned into pastes, liquids and oils for a variety of uses.
China, India, Nepal, and some other countries have been earning huge foreign exchange after selling the oil, juices, and tea made up of this herb. During the pandemic, the demand for this herb increased many times in America, Europe, and some other countries. Pakistani businessmen have started to sell it in different countries after getting the proofs of its utility from the laboratories.
Sea buckthorn is the herb that grows without any additional human efforts and is the part of daily food of the people of northern areas and this is one of the reasons that the average age of the people of that area is higher than that of rest of areas of the country.
The important fatty acid like Omega-7 has a ratio of 52% in sea buckthorn which is the highest among any fruit or herb and compared to the sour fruits, it has ten times more vitamin.
According to Zulfiqar Momin, the Principal of a company, Pak M Trading LLC, working in America, After the testing in prominent laboratories of USA, he came to know of the astonishing facts about this herb. He said that this herb has extremely high benefits for human health. It directly benefits diseases like blood sugar, cholesterol issues, blood pressure, stomach problems, and sight problems.
Taking the benefits of the situation, the government of Pakistan should engage the people of northern areas so that a big amount of foreign exchange may be earned after selling the juices, oil, and other tea, etc., made by this precious herb.
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