ProHydra-7^™

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a supercritical extraction?

When the most active and beneficial compounds of a plant have been identified and isolated for use in a dietary supplement of food, that product is called an “extract.” There are a number of different ways to remove these desirable compounds from the plant. Water and alcohol are two of the most well-known and commonly used materials (technically known as “solvents”). In fact, a tea bag in hot water is an example of a water extraction that almost everyone has at some time prepared for themselves. Supercritical CO₂, meaning carbon dioxide in a liquid form, is a special type of non-toxic solvent that is particularly good for extracting essential oils without damaging them or causing them to become rancid through oxidation. Supercritical CO₂ extraction is the preferred method for obtaining a full spectrum essential oil extract, discarding the non-essential fibrous plant material. Supercritical CO₂ yields a very high quality extract, with no heavy metals or potential for bacterial growth. Because it evaporates completely there is also no concern about contamination or residue left in the extracted materials.

What makes this particular sea buckthorn extract such a premium ingredient?

Sea buckthorn berries are difficult to harvest. They must be removed from shrub-like trees covered in thorns. As a shortcut, some companies actually cut down the shrubs, freeze the branches, and shake them to make the frozen berries fall off. This is a poor choice for two reasons. Freezing and then shaking off the berries damages them and yields a poor quality, low nutrient extract. Cutting down the shrub as a harvesting method is not a sustainable practice. All of the sea buckthorn berries in ProHydra-7 are hand-harvested. This is labor intensive, and thus more expensive, but well worth it. It ensures that the plants survive to produce a crop year after year and allows us to offer a highly potent and effective product.

What is the difference between sea buckthorn and fish as a source of omega-7?

Sourcing omega-7 from fish oil presents many of the same processing challenges that accompany extracting fish oil omega-3. To begin with, fish is not a rich source of omega-7, and therefore requires high heat and solvents (including bleach). This results in a triglyceride ethyl ester oil, the least stable form. Also, there is typically much less omega-7 per capsule than is found in sea buckthorn omega-7, so compliance with an omega-7 regimen could be much more challenging.

Another point of difference is that the range of nutrients found in hand-harvested sea buckthorn berries simply aren’t present in fish, making it a superior source for reliable benefits. Omega-7 sourced from sea buckthorn, specifically the SB-150™ sea buckthorn in ProHydra-7, provides a wide spectrum of nutrients in addition to omega-7. That’s because it uses a supercritical CO₂ process that preserves the full complex of nutrients (including vitamin E tocopherols and tocotrienols), and plant sterols. Sea buckthorn, properly harvested and gently processed, simply allows for a more complete ingredient source than fish sourced omega-7.