Recipes · Health Shot
Sea Buckthorn Orange Shot
Reader ratingsBright orange, sharp and tropical-tasting: tart sea buckthorn berries pressed with sweet orange juice and a spoonful of honey, a Nordic and Siberian pantry favorite.
Sea buckthorn berries have been used in Tibetan, Mongolian and Russian traditional medicine for centuries, and the juice is a pantry staple in Finland and Siberia.
Safety
- Sea buckthorn shows antiplatelet activity in lab studies, although a small human trial of the juice found no change in platelet aggregation. If you take blood thinners such as warfarin, aspirin or clopidogrel, check with your prescriber first, and tell your surgical team before any procedure.
- Sea buckthorn lowered the insulin response to a sugary meal in a small trial, so mention it to your prescriber if you take diabetes medicines. The shot is also naturally acidic, so sip through a straw, rinse your mouth afterwards and go easy if you have reflux.
- The berries are a normal food in Nordic and Siberian kitchens, but there is little safety data on a concentrated daily shot in pregnancy and breastfeeding, so ask your midwife or doctor first.
- Contains honey, so not for infants under 12 months. A shot is a small extra, not a substitute for a meal.
Why it’s good for you
Sea buckthorn is an unusual berry that holds both water-soluble vitamin C and fat-soluble carotenoids, plus flavonoids and an oily pulp rich in omega-7 fatty acids; the orange juice softens its sharp tang.
Evidence
Limited evidence
Mostly small, early, or laboratory studies.
A 2022 meta-analysis of 15 randomized trials found sea buckthorn products lowered triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL and raised HDL, but only in people whose blood fats were already abnormal, with no effect on blood sugar, blood pressure or body mass index and wide differences between trials. In 254 healthy adults, sea buckthorn berries did not reduce how many colds people caught or how long they lasted, though C-reactive protein fell slightly, and an 8-week trial of the juice in 20 healthy men changed neither total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol nor platelet aggregation. The trials used berry products, juice and supplements in varying amounts, and none tested a 2 oz shot, which holds the juice of only about 1 1/2 oz (45 g) of berries.
General information from research and traditional use — not medical advice, and not a treatment for any condition. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or managing a health condition, check with your clinician first, and seek care for symptoms that are severe or do not improve.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Thaw the sea buckthorn berries in a bowl for 20–30 minutes until soft. Freezing breaks the tough skins, which makes them much easier to juice.
- Blend the berries with 1/2 cup cold water on a low or medium speed for 20–30 seconds, just long enough to burst the skins.
- Pour through a fine sieve over a bowl and press the pulp firmly with the back of a spoon. You should have about 3/4 cup (6 oz) of juice. Juice the orange.
- Stir the orange juice and honey into the sea buckthorn juice. Taste: it should be very tangy with a sweet finish, so add honey a teaspoon at a time if needed.
- Pour into a sealed glass bottle and shake well, because the berry’s natural oil rises as an orange layer. Drink one 2 oz shot at a time, with or after food.
Tips
- Frozen berries are sold at Nordic, Baltic and Eastern European grocers, some health-food stores and online. Check that the bag lists only berries.
- Keeps 3 days in a sealed glass bottle in the fridge; shake first. Freeze in ice-cube trays for longer.
- The berries are almost as sour as lemons. If a shot is too sharp, top it with sparkling water or stir it into a mug of warm (not boiling) water.
- The berries and their orange pulp oil stain boards, cloths and fingers, so wear an apron and rinse the blender straight away.
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