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 DRDO’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.

“Our plants are the best due to the environmental conditions in Leh,” 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, “The seabuckthorn’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.”

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