Sea buckthorn, the sand thorn

Sha Ji reads “the sand thorn”: two characters, and the whole shrub is described, growing in sand and bristling with hard thorns. Its Latin name, Hippophae, speaks of horses: a Greek tradition held that horses fed on its leaves regained a glossy coat. Sea buckthorn is a Tibetan and Mongolian herb, which entered the Chinese pharmacopoeia only in 1977 and has been recognised since 1989 as both a food and a herb. Its small orange berries are harvested from September to November, sometimes frozen on the branch; Inner Mongolia and Shanxi have the largest wild populations. A good berry is plump, with thick, smooth flesh.

Warming the Spleen, awakening the digestion

In traditional Chinese medicine, sea buckthorn is sour and astringent, yet warm: an unusual combination. The sour gathers and awakens the digestive secretions, the astringent tightens, and the warmth keeps everything moving. Associated with the Spleen and the Stomach, the seat of digestion according to tradition, it aids digestion, dissolves food stagnation and gets a sluggish digestion going again. Above all, it warms and tonifies the Spleen: it supports it while clearing away what burdens it. The Tibetan canon credits it with awakening the appetite. Distinctly sour, it is best taken after meals.

A fruit of the Middle that reaches the upper body

Through the Lung, its warmth transforms long-standing cold Phlegm; through the Heart, it moves the Blood, and its action is described as directed towards the chest. These registers hold together through the Spleen, which produces Phlegm and supplies the substance of the Blood. It is often compared with Chinese hawthorn, which also aids digestion and moves the Blood: sea buckthorn is more warming and more nourishing for the Spleen. Its berries are very rich in vitamin C, carotenoids, flavonoids and fatty acids.