Sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L., Elaeagnaceae.) is a thorny shrub that has small, yellow to dark orange, soft, juicy berries. Due to hydrophilic and lipophilic ingredients, berries have been used as food and medicine. Sea buckthorn (SB) oil derived from berries is a source of valuable ingredients for cosmeceuticals. The unique combination of SB oil ingredients, in qualitative and quantitative aspects, provides multiple benefits of SB oil for internal and external use. Externally, SB oil can be applied in both healthy and damaged skin (burns or skin damage of different etiology), as it has good wound healing properties. Due to the well-balanced content of fatty acids, carotenoids, and vitamins, SB oil may be incorporated in cosmeceuticals for dry, flaky, burned, irritated, or rapidly ageing skin. There have been more than 100 ingredients identified in SB oil, some of which are rare in the plant kingdom (e.g., the ratio of palmitoleic to γ-linolenic acid). This review discusses facts related to the origin and properties of SB oil that make it suitable for cosmeceutical formulation.

The essential oil derived from the bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum L., Lauraceae, has gained significant attention because of its numerous biological benefits. This study aimed to perform a phytochemical analysis of commercially available Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark essential oil and to evaluate its antioxidant, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory, and antitumor properties. GC–MS analysis was employed to determine the phytochemical composition. The major component of the total essential oil composition was (E)-cinnamaldehyde, constituting 77.93%, followed by eugenol (4.34%), E-caryophyllene (3.68%), and linalool (2.79%). The antioxidant activity was confirmed by DPPH, ABTS, CUPRAC, and TAC assays. In the broth microdilution assay, cinnamon essential oil demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity, with MIC values ranging from 7.37 to 29.50 µg/mL. Furthermore, cinnamon essential oil demonstrated selective antitumor activity by inducing apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in human colorectal cancer cells (HCT116) while sparing non-cancerous cells (MRC-5). In HCT116 cells, cinnamon essential oil induced apoptosis, downregulated Cyclin D and p-AKT, and caused G1-phase arrest. Additionally, cinnamon essential oil modulated immune responses by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokine production in activated splenocytes and enhancing pro-inflammatory activity in naïve cells. These findings highlight the great potential of the cinnamon bark essential oil in the development of new therapeutic agents.

Since ancient times, many plants have been cultivated for their nutritional and medicinal properties. The genus Sanguisorba has been used for medicinal purposes for more than 2000 years. These species are distributed in temperate, arctic, or alpine areas in the Northern Hemisphere. Elongated, imparipinnate leaves and densely clustered flower heads are characteristics of the genus Sanguisorba. While Sanguisorba officinalis L. is mainly known for its significant medicinal applications, Sanguisorba minor Scop. is beginning to attract greater interest for its chemical composition and biological effects. Our research collected extensive information on Sanguisorba minor, including its history, taxonomy, habitat, and distribution, as well as its bioactive components and biological activities. In addition to electron microscopy of plant parts (root, stems, and leaves), which is described for the first time in the literature in the case of S. minor, the study also provides information on potential pests or beneficial insects that may be present. Our goal was to provide important information that will serve as a solid foundation for upcoming research on Sanguisorba minor Scop.

With the growing interest in natural and health-supporting foods, oak acorns (Quercus robur) are gaining renewed attention for their nutritional and antioxidant potential. This study explored how different processing methods affect bioactive compounds in three acorn-based products: raw acorn flour, roasted “coffee,” and washed-and-roasted “super coffee.” Extracts were obtained using methanol, acetone, and hexane to evaluate total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity via ABTS, DPPH, CUPRAC, FRAP, and TRP assays. Methanol proved to be the most effective solvent, extracting up to 66.53 mg GAE/g dw of phenolics in raw flour and 76.50 mg GAE/g dw in roasted “coffee,” reflecting a 15% increase in TPC after thermal treatment. However, the same treatment resulted in a 17% decrease in flavonoid content, from 181.5 mg RE/g dw in raw flour to 150.67 mg RE/g dw in “super coffee.” Antioxidant activity followed a similar pattern, with methanol extracts showing the highest values, up to 584 mg TE/g dw in the CUPRAC assay and 126.7 mg TE/g dw in ABTS. Safety was also assessed through the quantification of 16 priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The total PAH levels in the roasted “coffee” and “super coffee” samples were 222 ng/g dw and 290 ng/g dw, respectively. Importantly, PAH4 compounds, used as key safety indicators in EU regulations, were present in low concentrations, primarily as benzo[a]anthracene (34.3–39.8 ng/g), and none exceeded the maximum limits established for cocoa-based products. Benzo[a]pyrene, a major carcinogen, was not detected. The results confirm that acorns of Quercus robur, especially in their native flour form, are rich in antioxidants, naturally gluten-free, and safe when thermally processed, making them a strong candidate for use in functional foods.

Schizophrenia is a chronic mental illness with a poor quality of life (QoL). The main aim of this study was to measure the QoL and factors that affect the QoL of patients with schizophrenia placed in a social welfare institution. This cross-sectional study included 287 patients with schizophrenia who were treated in a long-stay social care institution in which QoL was assessed using five different instruments: the World Health Organization Quality of Life scale, the EuroQoL Five-Dimension-Five-Level scale (including the visual analog scale), the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire – Short Form, and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. To determine the impact of patients’ characteristics on score values, multiple linear regression using backward elimination was employed. Due to non-normality in the distribution of the dependent variables, a Box–Cox power transformation was applied to each dependent variable prior to conducting multiple linear regression analysis. Results revealed that patients with schizophrenia have lower QoL. Our study revealed that age, level of education, type of accommodation, type of pavilion, age of onset of the disease, number of prescribed antipsychotics, number of psychiatric comorbidities, duration of therapy, and the number of daily doses of antipsychotics are dominant contributors to the QoL in patients with schizophrenia who were treated in social welfare institution.