Grape Seed Oil
Grape Seed Oil is extracted from the seeds left or the waste left in the grape press during the wine-making process after the pressing cycle. The waste left after this pressing cycle is called as pomace. Grape is an ancient fruit that has been used for about thousands of years. This fruit is celebrated for its medicinal and nutritional benefits. The Egyptians and the ancient Greek philosophers praised Grapes for its curative powers and have been using it for more than 6000 years. It is indigenous to Western Asia and Southern Europe. Grape is the most popular plant in the world. This is a perennial shrub that grows from a large vine. This large vine has many numbers of twisted stems. These zigzag stems bear small green branches that are round shaped. The leaves of this plant are palm shaped and are alternately arranged. This plant bears many flowers that appear in groups. These tiny flowers are followed by clusters of berries. Grape berries appear in different colors ranging from green to purple. Each and every berry contains about 5 to 10 seeds. Original grape vines can live up to 600 years at a particular time.
Grapes can be classified into 4 classes mainly based on their utilization. Those are wine grapes, sweet juice grapes, raisin grapes and the table grapes. In many parts of the world thousands of tones of pomace are thrown after the wine making process. The grape seed oil extracted from this is highly nutritious.
Latin name: Vitis vinifera.
Alternative names: Grapeseed oil, Fox Grape, Grape oil, Grape Vine, Vine.
Grape is an easy to grow plant. It is cultivated in many warm temperate regions of the world, mainly for the wine extracted from these fruits. The berries are generally collected during the autumn season. Grape seed oil is rich in linoleic acid, anthocyanins, flavonoids, stearic acid, Vitamin E, oleic acid, polyunsaturated oil, palmitoleic acid, palmitic acid, alpha-linoleic acid and Oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes, popularly known as OPCs. The oil extracted from grape seed is a powerful antioxidant. This oil is 20 times extra superior than Vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than Vitamin E in spoiling the free radicals in the body.
Uses: Grape seed oil helps in destroying the free radicals causing cancer and leading to cell damage. It is effective in treating chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Chronic venous insufficiency, high blood pressure and hypertension are also treated with the beneficial effects of grape seed oil. This oil is also trusted to treat Edema which is the swelling caused by an injury or a surgery. This health condition generally occurs after breast cancer surgery. It might end up in pain, fatigue, swelling, visible veins and blood pools in the legs. Grape seed oil can protect the body from such conditions and from sun damage. It improves blood circulation and lower blood cholesterol. The components in grape seed oil can help protect the body from sun damage, improve vision, improve flexibility in joints, arteries and body tissue, improve blood circulation and reduce allergic and asthmatic symptoms by inhibiting the formation of histamines.
