Circulatory problems include many serious conditions, including atherosclerosis -- when arterial plaque prevents the transport of oxygen-rich blood to your heart -- and deep vein thrombosis, when blood clots form in your veins and to travel to your lungs, causing pulmonary embolism. Also potentially life-threatening is thrombosis of the coronary arteries, which can lead to heart attack if untreated. Doctors usually treat atherosclerosis and thrombotic conditions with medications; surgery may be necessary. Herbalists may advise grape seed extracts to help prevent circulatory disorders. Consult your doctor before taking grape seed extract.
Features
Grapes -- botanically known as Vitis vinifera -- are the fruit of a woody vine indigenous to the Mediterranean and west Asian areas and presently cultivated in North and South America. Grapevines feature climbing tendrils with three- five- or seven-lobed leaves; the fruit is borne in long clusters ranging from light green to purplish-black. The culinary and medicinal use of grapes is rooted in antiquity. Egyptians used grapes as a food source as early as 4,000 B.C.;
the medicinal use of grapes -- often in the form of wine -- was widespread. Grapes were employed in European folk medicine in an ointment for skin diseases, and also traditionally used to treat cancer, cholera, smallpox, eye infections and liver disease. Grape seed extracts are currently used in France to treat diseases that affect the circulatory system and capillaries, such as venous insufficiency.
Constituents and Effects
The pharmacologically active constituent in grape seed extract is a flavonoid called proanthocyanidin, which is derived from red grapes during wine production. In addition to proanthocyanidins, grape seed extract is rich in beneficial fatty acids, tannins and tocopherols, a natural form of vitamin E.
Drugs.com credits grape seed extract with antioxidant properties, as well as possible cardioprotective and chemopreventive effects, and notes that grape seed extract improved capillary resistance in clinical studies. University of Maryland Medical Center reports that scientific evidence supports grape seed extract use to treat venous insufficiency and edema. Wellness Resource states that grape seed extract can strengthen arteries and capillaries, offer antioxidant protection for the heart and prevent the formation of plaque. The website also credits grape seed extracts with helping to produce the beneficial, or "friendly," nitric oxide needed to relax the circulatory system and balance blood pressure.
Research
In a study published in 2005 in "Thrombosis Research," researchers evaluated the anti-thombotic -- or anti-blood clotting -- effect of proanthocyanidin using both test tube studies and animal research. They concluded that proanthocyanidin significantly inhibited laboratory-induced thrombus formation in the carotid artery of a mouse, and theorized that this effect was due to the proanthocyanidin's direct inhibitory effect on platelets in the blood.
Usage and Considerations
UMMC advises taking 150 to 300 mg of an extract standardized to 40 to 80 percent proanthocyanidins, or 95 percent OPC value, one to three times a day for circulatory problems, such as venous insufficiency. Few adverse effects have been reported with grape seed extract; side effects include stomach pains and headache. Allergic reactions have been reported. Grape seed extract may interact with prescription medications. Consult your doctor before taking grape seed extract. Don't take grape seed extract if you are pregnant or breast feeding.
References
- Drugs.com: Complete Grape Seed Information
- University of Southern California; Thrombosis/ Coronary Thrombosis; Staff; 2011
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute; Atherosclerosis; Staff; July 2011
- "Thrombosis Research"; Anti-Thrombotic Effect of Proanthocyanidin, a Purified Ingredient of Grape Seed; T. Sano et al.; 2005
- Wellness Resource; Grape Seed Extract's Powerful Cardio Protection; Byron Richards, C.C.N; November 14, 2008
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Grape Seed; UMMC Staff; August 2010
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