olivello spinoso

Hippophae rhamnoides. Rich in vitamin C and every known other vitamin, the berries are used in Friuli to make sciroppo di olivello spinoso (also known as scirop di pomulis di gleria), a thirst quencher when mixed with water. It's also used to make a tea.

The scientific word comes from the time of Alexander the Great, when he and his army noticed that wounded horses would heal by chewing sea buckthorn leaves—hence hippos ('horse' in Greek) and phaos ('shiny'). Alexander then made the plant part of the diet of his army, to give his soldiers greater endurance and strength.