Description

Vitis vinifera, the cultivated grapevine, is a woody climbing plant of the family Vitaceae, native to the Mediterranean basin and the Caucasus region, cultivated for over eight thousand years for its fruit, wine, and in later periods for its seeds. The small, smooth seeds extracted during winemaking and grape juice processing are rich in oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) — polyphenolic antioxidants that have been the subject of extensive phytochemical investigation since the 1970s work of Jacques Masquelier. In Unani pharmacopoeia, Inab-ul-Thalab (grape derivatives) appear in formulations for blood health and vascular conditions. Grape seed extract is now among the top-selling botanical ingredients in the global nutraceutical market. In India, commercial grape seed is primarily sourced from Maharashtra and Karnataka.