Sea buckthorn

Orange chatsargana berries are Mongolia’s “vitamin bomb” – sea buckthorn juice is drunk here as commonly as apple juice is in Europe.

A thorny shrub or small tree growing 2–6 m tall, with narrow, silvery-grey, scaly leaves. The plant is dioecious, and in autumn the female shrubs bear orange, sour berries rich in vitamin C, carotenoids and oil, packed densely along the twigs. Thanks to a partnership with nitrogen-fixing bacteria it grows on gravel and poor soils, often forming dense thickets in river valleys. The berries are made into juices, jams and an oil used in cosmetics and medicine.

Significance in the country

Mongolia is a significant producer of sea buckthorn – wild thickets in the valleys of western rivers are supplemented by extensive plantations, and chatsargana juice and oil are popular exports and home remedies.

Where it grows

Wild in the river valleys of western Mongolia (Uvs, Khovd, Bayan-Ölgii, Zavkhan and Govi-Altai provinces); plantations mainly in Selenge, Töv and Darkhan-Uul provinces.

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