Sea buckthorn

In Russia sea buckthorn oil is registered by the Ministry of Health as a medicinal product for topical use in first- and second-degree burns, radiation skin injury, trophic ulcers and pressure ulcers. The oil is applied as a thin layer to the damaged surface twice daily until epithelialisation. The evidence base is small Soviet-era clinical studies, not Western-style RCTs. The ISBI Practice Guidelines for Burn Care (Burns 2016) do not mention sea buckthorn – the international standard for superficial burn care rests on cooling, panthenol gels, silver sulfadiazine creams and non-adherent dressings. In Spain and most EU countries sea buckthorn oil is not registered as a burn medication. If a patient is in Russia and a doctor prescribed sea buckthorn oil for a superficial burn, the use follows the national pharmacopoeia. In deep burns, burns of face, hands, feet or covering more than 5% of body surface, sea buckthorn does not replace specialised burn-centre care.

In Russia sea buckthorn rectal suppositories are registered for haemorrhoids, anal fissures and proctitis in the healing phase. Suppositories are inserted once or twice daily after defecation for 10–14 days. The evidence base consists of Soviet-era clinical studies and case series; Western-style RCTs are absent. International haemorrhoid guidelines (ASCRS 2018, ESCP 2020) do not include sea buckthorn; first-line therapy in stage 1–2 disease is bowel-habit normalisation, flavonoids (micronised purified flavonoid fraction – Daflon, diosmin), topical steroids or anaesthetics. If conservative therapy fails, rubber-band ligation or haemorrhoidectomy follow. If sea buckthorn suppositories were prescribed by a Russian doctor for a superficial anal fissure without active bleeding, the use follows the national pharmacopoeia. For overt bleeding, haemorrhoidal thrombosis or suspected colorectal cancer, sea buckthorn does not replace proctology assessment and colonoscopy.