Sea buckthorn is a berry, not a drug, with real but narrow effects. Blood fats fall only in people whose blood fats are already abnormal. Softer, repeated findings cover eye dryness and the thinning of mucous membranes after menopause. Loose stools and stomach fullness rise with dose. Plant compounds slow blood clotting in the laboratory. The evidence base is thin. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Triglycerides | < 80 mg/dL | The lipid most reliably moved in pooled trial data |
| LDL cholesterol | < 100 mg/dL | Secondary lipid endpoint with a smaller pooled effect |
| HDL cholesterol | > 55 mg/dL men, > 65 mg/dL women | The only lipid measure that rose rather than fell |
| hs-CRP | < 0.5 mg/L | Tracks the inflammation endpoint with conflicting trial results |
| Fasting insulin | 2–5 µIU/mL | Captures the insulin-blunting effect seen after meals |
| HbA1c | < 5.3% | Confirms no adverse drift in glucose control during use |
| ALT | < 20 U/L men, < 17 U/L women | Screens the liver endpoint and any oil-related strain |
| Platelet count | 200–350 × 10⁹/L | Establishes bleeding-risk baseline before antiplatelet stacking |
| INR | 0.9–1.1 untreated; individual target on warfarin | Detects the bidirectional anticoagulant interaction |
| Tear film osmolarity | < 300 mOsm/L | The primary endpoint in the dry-eye trials |
Cadence: Baseline before the first dose; lipid panel and inflammation marker repeated at 12 weeks, then every 6–12 months on continued use. On warfarin, clotting time at 2 and 4 weeks after starting or stopping.