Hippophae, Sea Buckthorn, Star Bu སྟར་བུ

Star Bu  (Tibetan)
Sha Ji  沙棘 (TCM)
Picture Sea Buckthorn
Flora von Deutschland (10), Kohler, 1882

Picture Hippophae rhamnoides
(Photo by AnRo0002) (Wikimedia)

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Botanical name:


Hippophae spp.
Three types are used in Tibetan Medicine:
  1. H. rhamnoides (Large Star bu)
  2. H. salicifolia (Medium Star bu)
  3. H. tibetana (Small Star bu)

Parts used:


Fruit

Temperature & Taste:


Warm, moist. Slightly Sweet, Sour.

Uses:


1. Tonifies Qi, Generates Fluids:
-used for Qi deficiency with damage to fluids; after chronic disease, strong Heat, or Febrile disease.
-Diabetes

2. Benefits the Lungs, Stops Cough, clears Cold Phlegm:
-chronic Cough, Bronchitis, especially for profuse Cold Phlegm
-difficulty Breathing from Cold-Phlegm

3. Warms and Strengthens Stomach and Spleen:
-Indigestion, abdominal pain from Food Stagnation (Chinese Pharmacopeia)
-chronic Diarrhea or Dysentery with food stagnation
-Enteritis, Colic in Tibetan Medicine
-more recently for Gastro-duodenal Ulcers

4. Moves the Blood, clears Stasis (TCM, Tibetan):
-Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea
-Bruising, Hematoma, Trauma, Tumors; used for blood stagnation in TCM and Tibetan Medicine
-poor blood circulation causing thickening of the blood

5. Clears Heat:
-Fever (Tibetan Medicine)
-taken to prevent infection during epidemics
-topically for burns including sunburn and radiation burns


Dose:


Decoction: 3–9 grams
Concentrated Decoction (Extract: see below): 1–2 spoonfuls

Preparation:


… available in PRO version
Picture

Main Combinations:


1. Damage to fluids after febrile disease, Sea Buckthorn with … available in PRO version
2. Cough and Wheezing from excess Cold Phlegm, Sea Buckthorn with … available in PRO version
3. Lung heat Cough, Bronchitis, Asthma, Sea Buckthorn with … available in PRO version
4. Dysenteric disorders, Sea Buckthorn with … available in PRO version
5. Menstrual disorders associated with Blood stagnation, Sea Buckthorn with … available in PRO version
6. Hematoma and Bruising, Sea Buckthorn with … available in PRO version

Major Formulas:


Sea Buckthorn 5 (Star bu 5)
Pacific 11 (Zhi byed bcu gcig)
Principle 25 (Gtso bo nyer lnga)

Cautions:


Not used in internal Cold or Fire from excess

Main Preparations used:


Extract (Concentrated Decoction) of Sea Buckthorn: