Berry, berry useful

Till a few years back, seabuckthorn was just another thorny bush. Today, everything from its fruits to its roots has high nutrition value

Till a decade ago, no one had heard of seabuckthorn. And the few who did, in the cold deserts of Leh and Ladakh, knew of it as a worthless weed, fit only to be burnt or uprooted. But today, the bushy plant is a fixture in every Leh field, its juice is part of the high-altitude ration given to Indian troops along with herbal tea made from seabuckthorn leaves.

Dr. Zakwan Ahmed, director of DRDO8217;s Field Research Laboratory FRL at Leh, makes no bones about his passion for seabuckthorn Hippophae Rhamoides. It is his team that first introduced India to the nutritious seabuckthorn fruit juice almost a decade ago.

Not content with making use of its fruits and leaves, the FRL scientists are now working on seabuckthorn seeds and roots at a lab in Leh.

Though the credit for pioneering research in seabuckthorn goes to China, which dedicated an institute to it as far back as in 1969, its species have reportedly deteriorated over the years.

8220;Our plants are the best due to the environmental conditions in Leh,8221; says Dr. Ahmed, who was adjudged the DRDO Scientist of the Year for 2006.

Dr. O.P. Chaurasia, who is part of the team working on seabuckthorn oil and is considered the brain behind making herbal tea from its leaves, says, 8220;The seabuckthorn8217;s fruits not only contains all the vitamins, but also has three times more Vitamin C than amla. Its leaves have anti-oxidant qualities as do its seeds.8221;

These days, the FRL team is studying the seabuckthorn seed, which contains Omega fatty acids, anti-oxidants and kerotene, which together protect the skin from UV rays. 8220;It8217;s ideal for the locals, who weather very high radiation,8221; says Dr Ahmed.

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Six months back, the team led by Dr. Ahmed prepared a concoction of seabuckthorn seed oil, apricot oil and base oil. Now efforts are on to extract the seed oil without using any solvents. Once this is done, the seabuckthorn seed which used to go waste will also command a handsome price.

The seabuckthorn fruit, now considered a lucrative cash crop, sells for a minimum of Rs 15 a kg. The Ladakh Hill Development Council has set up a cooperative which purchases seabuckthorn fruit from the farmers and then auctions its pulp to private vendors. The DRDO has transferred the juice technology to six vendors.