In central Europe and Asia, it also occurs as a sub-alpine shrub above the tree line in mountains, and other sunny areas such as river banks where it has been used to stabilize erosion.

More than 90% or about 1,500,000 ha (3,700,000 acres) of the world's natural sea buckthorn habitat is found in China, Mongolia, Russia, and most parts of Northern Europe.

[6] During the Cold War, Russian and East German horticulturists developed new varieties with greater nutritional value, larger berries, different ripening months and branches that are easier to harvest.

Over the past 20 years, experimental crops have been grown in the United States, one in Nevada and one in Arizona, and in several provinces of Canada.

Additionally, malolactic fermentation of sea buckthorn juice reduces sourness, enhancing its sensory properties.

[12][13] For its troops confronting low winter temperatures (see Siachen), India's Defence Research and Development Organisation established a factory in Leh to manufacture a multivitamin herbal beverage based on sea buckthorn juice.

[4] Sea buckthorn may be used as a landscaping shrub with an aggressive basal shoot system used for barrier hedges and windbreaks, and to stabilize riverbanks and steep slopes.

In northwestern China, sea buckthorn shrubs have been planted on the bottoms of dry riverbeds to increase water retention of the soil, thus decreasing sediment loss.

[4] Although sea buckthorn fruit extracts are under preliminary research for their pharmacological effects, there is no high-quality clinical evidence for the ability of Hippophae products to lower the risk of human diseases.

[21] Berry oil from seeds or fruit pulp, either taken orally as a dietary supplement or applied topically, is believed to be a skin softener or medicine, but there is inadequate clinical evidence of its effectiveness.