If you’re looking at ways to nourish your body through perimenopause and menopause, sea buckthorn is a little orange berry worth knowing about.
We’ve been researching this incredible fruit and its unique nutritional profile, and there’s a reason it’s gaining attention for women’s health particularly when it comes to skin, mucosal health and the nutritional changes that become important through menopause.
Sea buckthorn naturally contains an impressive combination of vitamin C, carotenoids, vitamin E, polyphenols and unique fatty acids, including Omega-7. It’s this combination not one single “hero” nutrient that makes the whole berry so interesting.
And there’s emerging research to back up why we’re interested.
Studies have investigated sea buckthorn in postmenopausal women, including research into skin, vaginal and mucosal health, while broader research continues to explore its antioxidant and nutritional properties.
So we wanted to take a closer look at what the research actually says, why sea buckthorn is particularly interesting during menopause, and why we chose to use 100% organic crushed berry powder in our new range.
Because for us, this isn't about finding another “magic” menopause ingredient.
It's about finding nutrient-dense foods that can become part of your everyday routine and giving your body more of the building blocks it needs through every stage of life.
This is the story of sea buckthorn and why we think this little berry deserves a place in your menopause toolkit.
What is sea buckthorn?
Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) is a small orange berry that grows on a hardy shrub native to parts of Europe and Asia.
It has an intensely vibrant orange colour and a naturally tart, citrus-like flavour.
But its real point of difference is its nutritional profile.
Research reviews describe sea buckthorn as containing a remarkable range of nutrients and bioactive compounds, including:
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Vitamin C
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Carotenoids
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Vitamin E and tocopherols
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Flavonoids and other polyphenols
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Essential fatty acids
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Omega-7 fatty acids, particularly in the fruit pulp
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Phytosterols
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Amino acids
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Minerals
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Organic acids
The exact nutritional profile varies depending on the variety, growing conditions, maturity and how the berry is processed.
This combination of antioxidant compounds, vitamins, fatty acids and phytonutrients is what makes sea buckthorn so interesting as a whole-food ingredient.
Why are we interested in sea buckthorn during menopause?
One of the biggest changes women can experience during and after menopause is a change in the health of the body's skin and mucosal tissues.
This can include:
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Drier skin
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Changes in skin elasticity and barrier function
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Dry eyes
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Vaginal dryness
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Vaginal and vulval discomfort
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Changes in the health and integrity of mucosal tissue
Oestrogen plays an important role in maintaining these tissues, so declining oestrogen during menopause can contribute to these changes.
This is where the nutritional profile of sea buckthorn becomes particularly interesting.
1. Skin and antioxidant support
Sea buckthorn berries are rich in carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, flavonoids and other polyphenols.
These compounds have antioxidant activity and are involved in protecting cells from oxidative stress.
A 2025 review specifically examined the role of sea buckthorn compounds in skin and mucosal health, highlighting its carotenoids, flavonoids, unsaturated fatty acids and vitamins and their potential roles in antioxidant, inflammatory and barrier-related processes.
This doesn't mean sea buckthorn is an “anti-ageing cure”.
Rather, it provides a concentrated source of naturally occurring nutrients and phytonutrients that support the body's normal skin and tissue functions.
2. Vaginal and mucosal health
This is where we have some of the most interesting human research.
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 116 postmenopausal women investigated daily sea buckthorn oil for three months in women experiencing vaginal dryness, itching or burning.
The women taking sea buckthorn oil had a significantly greater improvement in the integrity of the vaginal epithelium compared with placebo. There was also a favourable trend in overall vaginal health.
Importantly, this study used sea buckthorn oil, not whole berry powder.
So we don't say that our berry powder has been proven to produce the same clinical outcome.
What the research does tell us is that sea buckthorn is worth investigating for women's mucosal health, and that its unique fatty-acid and phytonutrient profile may be relevant.
A more recent randomized trial also investigated oral sea buckthorn oil and reported improvements in several skin measures, alongside reported improvements in some vaginal and eye-dryness symptoms after 12 weeks. However, the differences between the sea buckthorn and placebo groups were not significant for every vaginal or eye outcome, so more research is needed.
That's an important distinction.
Promising doesn't mean proven.
And we think women deserve to know the difference.
3. What makes Omega-7 so interesting?
Sea buckthorn fruit contains palmitoleic acid, commonly referred to as Omega-7, alongside other fatty acids.
Omega-7 is particularly concentrated in the pulp and fruit oil, and sea buckthorn is unusual among plant foods for its fatty-acid profile.
Omega-7 is being researched for its potential roles in skin, mucosal and metabolic health.
But there's another important point:
We don't want to reduce sea buckthorn to Omega-7 alone.
The berry contains so much more.
4. It's not just Omega-7
This is one of the reasons we chose whole crushed berry powder rather than simply using an isolated Omega-7 ingredient.
Sea buckthorn berries contain a broad spectrum of naturally occurring compounds.
Research has identified carotenoids, flavonoids, phenolic acids, tocopherols, vitamins, minerals, organic acids, fatty acids and other phytonutrients within the fruit.
The bright orange colour of the berry comes largely from its carotenoid content.
Carotenoids include compounds such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, although the exact levels vary between varieties and growing conditions.
Sea buckthorn is also naturally rich in vitamin C, although the amount can vary considerably depending on the berry and processing method.
Rather than isolating one “hero” compound, we prefer the idea of eating the whole food and its naturally occurring nutritional matrix.
Why we use 100% organic crushed berry powder
This is really important to us.
Our Sea Buckthorn is 100% organic crushed berry powder.
No fillers.
No unnecessary ingredients.
No artificial flavouring.
No isolated Omega-7 added to make a label look impressive.
Just the crushed berry.
Why whole berry?
Because the berry contains a broad spectrum of naturally occurring nutrients and phytonutrients.
When you use the whole fruit, you're not trying to reduce the plant down to one compound and call that the benefit.
You're getting the berry in its natural food form.
That aligns with our philosophy at The Seed Cycle:
food first.
We want to make it easier for women to add genuinely nourishing foods to their everyday routine rather than creating another complicated supplement regime.
Why organic?
We choose organic because the quality of the raw ingredient matters.
Sea buckthorn is a food, and we want our starting ingredient to be grown according to organic production standards.
For us, organic is part of the bigger picture: choosing high-quality ingredients, keeping the formulation simple and being intentional about what goes into the products women are consuming every day.
So, can sea buckthorn help with menopause?
The honest answer is:
It may be a useful food to include during menopause, but the research is still developing.
There is encouraging human research around sea buckthorn oil and vaginal health, as well as emerging research into skin, mucosal and antioxidant-related effects.
But we don't have clinical evidence showing that whole sea buckthorn berry powder specifically treats menopause symptoms.
And that's okay.
We don't need to turn every nourishing food into a treatment.
Instead, think of sea buckthorn as one small but powerful addition to a menopause-supportive diet.
A diet rich in:
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Colourful fruits and vegetables
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Fibre
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Quality protein
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Healthy fats
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Omega-3-rich foods
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Seeds and nuts
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Fermented foods
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A wide variety of plant foods
And nutrient-dense ingredients like sea buckthorn.
How to use Sea Buckthorn
Our favourite way to use Sea Buckthorn is simply to add it to your daily routine.
Try it in:
Your morning smoothie
Blend it with berries, protein, yoghurt or your favourite milk.
Yoghurt bowls
Add it to coconut or Greek yoghurt with berries, nuts and seeds.
Overnight oats
Stir it through with cinnamon, chia seeds and your favourite toppings.
Energy balls
Combine it with dates, nuts, coconut and your favourite Seed Cycle product.
The flavour is naturally tart and fruity, so it works beautifully alongside sweeter ingredients.
Why We Combine Sea Buckthorn With Seed Cycling
This is where Sea Buckthorn becomes even more interesting for us.
We didn’t create this product to be another standalone “superfood”. We created it to complement Seed Cycling.
Because the two offer very different nutritional profiles.
Seed Cycling gives you the seeds. Sea Buckthorn gives you the berry.
Our Seed Cycle provides two tablespoons of freshly ground organic seeds each day, rotated throughout the month.
These seeds provide fibre, healthy fats, minerals and naturally occurring plant compounds, including lignans in flax and sesame.
Flaxseed is particularly interesting for women because of its lignan content. Lignans are converted by gut bacteria into compounds called enterolignans, including enterolactone and enterodiol, which have interactions with oestrogen metabolism.
There is human research investigating flaxseed in peri- and postmenopausal women. For example, a 2024 randomized controlled study in perimenopausal women found that three months of flaxseed supplementation was associated with improvements in menopause symptom scores and increased enterodiol and enterolactone levels.
Other research has found that flaxseed can influence endogenous hormone metabolism in postmenopausal women, although the broader evidence is mixed and does not establish seed cycling as a treatment for menopause symptoms.
And that's important to say.
We don't use Seed Cycling because we believe food can magically “balance your hormones”.
We use it because it is a simple, food-first way to incorporate nutrient-dense seeds, fibre, healthy fats and plant compounds into your everyday routine.
Two different foods. Two different nutritional profiles.
That's the reason we combine them.
Seed Cycling
→ Ground organic seeds
→ Fibre
→ Healthy fats
→ Lignans and other plant compounds
→ A simple food-based monthly ritual
Sea Buckthorn
→ Carotenoids
→ Vitamin C
→ Vitamin E
→ Polyphenols
→ Naturally occurring fatty acids including Omega-7
→ Whole-berry phytonutrients
Together, they create a broader spectrum of plant-based nourishment.
And this is very much our philosophy at The Seed Cycle:
Don't look for one magic ingredient. Build a diet full of diverse, nutrient-dense foods that support your body through every stage of life.
The important distinction
There are currently no clinical trials showing that combining Sea Buckthorn and Seed Cycling together treats menopause symptoms.
We don't want to suggest otherwise.
What we can say is that both ingredients have nutritional and research backgrounds that make them interesting additions to a menopause-focused, food-first approach.
The evidence for sea buckthorn is particularly promising around certain skin and mucosal outcomes, while research into flaxseed and other seed components provides interesting evidence around lignans, fibre and metabolic and hormonal pathways.
The science is still developing.
And that's exactly why we focus on something much simpler:
real food, high-quality ingredients and consistent daily nourishment.
That's why Sea Buckthorn isn't designed to replace your Seed Cycle.
It's designed to complement it.
The research
If you want to explore the science behind sea buckthorn further:
Larmo et al., 2014 — Sea buckthorn oil and vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women
A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 116 postmenopausal women. After three months, the sea buckthorn oil group showed a significantly greater improvement in vaginal epithelial integrity than placebo.
Chan et al., 2024 — Oral sea buckthorn oil and skin, ocular and vaginal health
A randomized controlled trial investigating oral sea buckthorn oil over 12 weeks, including measures of skin health and self-reported eye and vaginal symptoms. The findings were encouraging, but the authors note that further research is needed.
Ciesarová et al., 2020 — Why is sea buckthorn so exceptional?
A comprehensive review of the nutritional composition of sea buckthorn, including its vitamins, carotenoids, tocopherols, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids and other nutrients.
2025 review — Sea buckthorn, skin and mucosal health
A recent review examining the potential roles of sea buckthorn's bioactive compounds in skin and mucosal barrier health, including antioxidant and inflammatory pathways.
Read the 2025 review on PubMed
A note on the research
The research on sea buckthorn is promising, but it is important to distinguish between studies conducted using sea buckthorn oil, extracts and whole berries. Results from one form cannot automatically be applied to another.
Our Sea Buckthorn is 100% organic crushed berry powder, and we do not claim that it has been clinically proven to treat menopause symptoms.
It is a food-based source of naturally occurring nutrients and phytonutrients that can form part of a nourishing diet throughout perimenopause, menopause and beyond.
