Red sea buckthorn berries, also known as Shepherdia, have many beneficial properties. This berry has been used since ancient times in its homeland in North America by the indigenous population as a food additive and a medicine. Among her other well-known names, one should recall the “Nebraska currant” and “buffalo berry”. In this article you can find information about Shepherdia silver, its beneficial properties and contraindications to use.
What is this plant?
Shepherdia Silver belongs to the family Lokhovyh and is a rather short shrub, which is considered the birthplace of North America. The shrub fruiting berries red color, which are covered with barely noticeable whitish dots. Shrubs can bear fruit annually for 40-50 years, while each can pick 15-20 kg of berries. 
Did you know? The Lokhovye family includes only 3 types of plants, the distinguishing feature of which is the presence of hairs or scales on the leaves and shoots, which give them a silvery shade.
Shepherdia, also known as the buffalo berry, is quite edible for humans in its raw form, but it has a slightly bitter-sour taste, moreover, after using it in the mouth, there is a dry feeling. These berries serve as a source of food for many wild animals, primarily for bears, in addition, they are eaten by the larvae of some species of insects.
Nutritional value and calorie
The product has a rather poor nutritional value, but it carries a very large amount of vitamins and other biologically active substances. Caloric content of 100 g of red sea buckthorn is only about 28 kcal.
The Lokhovye family includes such plants as: gumi, sucker Chilean, and sea buckthorn.
The composition of 100 g of raw product also contains: protein - 0.5 g, fat - 0.2 g, carbohydrates - 3.7 g. The rest of the weight falls on dietary fiber and water, which any berry, based on its biological structure, pretty rich. 
Chemical composition
Shepherdia is the best natural source of vitamins and microelements. By the amount of vitamin C contained in it, it is able to contend with many citrus fruits. As for the constituent catechins and oily substances, then they overtake the worldwide recognized leader in these parameters - sea buckthorn. The main chemical composition of the berry can be characterized as follows:
- various sugars;
- many organic acids;
- vitamin C;
- substances with tannic properties;
- pectin;
- carotene;
- vitamins C and P;
- lipokines.
Did you know? The composition of the fruits of this shrub also includes tetrahydrogarmol, which when ingested in large quantities, acts as psychedelics.
Pharmacological properties
The fruits of Shepherd silver have many pronounced beneficial properties. The leucoanthocyanins and catechins contained in them help to increase the strength and elasticity of the walls of veins, arteries and arterioles, as well as reduce their fragility. Carotene, which is abundantly present in the fruit, helps to improve the performance of the visual analyzer and prevents the development of many ophthalmologic diseases.
In addition, carotene - the original substance, which is necessary for our body to synthesize vitamin A, and therefore the use of red sea buckthorn has a positive effect on the condition of the skin.
Vitamin C, which is part of the berries in a huge amount, helps to enhance and strengthen the immune function of the body, helps to better cope with the processes of resuming normal operation after transferring various acute respiratory viral infections and influenza.
Other berries also have useful properties, such as: raspberry, cloudberry, sunberry, prince, blackberry, mountain ash, blueberry, cherry, strawberry, lingonberry, cranberry, blueberry and cornel.Vitamin P is responsible for maintaining the correct structure and tone of blood vessels, strengthens the capillary network, has anti-atherosclerotic effect. In this regard, we can conclude that the use of Shepherd is an excellent prevention of strokes and heart attacks.
Since these fruits belong to dietary products, they are very often recommended to people seeking to lose weight, and with a variety of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Tannins, which are contained in large quantities in this berry, have a whole range of different effects: astringent, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and hemostatic.Application of fruits
Shepherdia is not widely used in traditional medicine, but it is actively used in folk and cooking. They can be found as components in various collections and bioactive additives.
Treatment
The fruits of this shrub are widely used and recommended by many traditional healers for the treatment of assorted viral infections and flu, as well as an immunostimulant in the process of restoring the body from the effects of the latter. It is widely used as a vitamin supplement to the traditional treatment of these diseases. It is used to maintain and normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system.
Important! You should not abandon traditional pharmacotherapy for the sake of treatment with the help of Shepherdia, but it can serve as an excellent complement to traditional treatment regimens.
Cooking
One of the main methods of using these berries in cooking is the production of various alcoholic beverages from them by infusion. At one time, Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin himself spoke positively about the various tinctures obtained using red sea buckthorn. In addition, it can be used to prepare compotes, jelly, jam, jam, various sauces and extremely delicious seasonings.
Contraindications and harm
Bison berry should not be eaten in the event that you have an individual intolerance to it or are pronounced allergic. During lactation, pregnancy and childhood, before use, you should consult with your doctor. 
Methods of procuring sheferdia
The most productive and fastest method of harvesting is as follows. It is necessary to spread some cloth around the bush in such a way that there is no gap between the plant stems and the cloth. Next, you need to shake the stems, and the fruits themselves will fall into the folded tissue. This manipulation is best done after the first frost hit. This will allow the berries to acquire an extraordinary aroma and taste, similar to currant or barberry.
Important! If you collect red sea buckthorn fruits in the autumn, try to pick them off from the stems with small petioles. This will allow to preserve the freshness and taste of the berries longer.
Further, the collected fruits should be dried or made of them jam or compote, which should be further stored in a dark, not cold place. 
So, we hope, you have extracted from this article all the necessary information about sea buckthorn, its benefits and possible harm to the body. This bush is good not only as a raw materials appendage, but also as an ornamental plant, which adds another plus to the already vast treasury of the advantages of this plant.
