Grapes: traditional uses, forms and everyday preparations

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Grapes are the fruit of the grapevine, Vitis vinifera, a woody climber from Western Asia grown for wine and for the table. This page is for anyone with a bunch of grapes on the counter, a vine on a wall, or a bag of dried vine leaves: which part is used, in what form, what it tastes like, and what should make you pause.

What it is credited with

• Grapes have a long reputation as a tonic, restoring fruit — the sweet, watery bunch handed to anyone who is tired, hot or convalescing.
• Naturopathy credits the fibre in skin and pulp with keeping the bowels moving comfortably, and counts grapes among the gently laxative fruits.
• Because grapes are so watery and rich in potassium, herbal tradition classes them as refreshing and diuretic, suited to hot weather and to days of heavy eating.
• The old European “grape cure”, a few days of eating little but ripe grapes in autumn, was traditionally taken to ease stiff, aching joints and sluggish digestion.
• Herbalists have long used red vine leaf (the coloured autumn leaf) for heavy, tired legs and the feeling of poor circulation after a day standing.
• In traditional herbalism, the tannins of the vine leaf were also relied on for fragile capillaries: easy bruising, small red skin spots, nosebleeds.
• The same astringency made a leaf infusion a traditional remedy for loose bowels in old country practice.
• Resveratrol and the grape’s flavonoids are the reason the skin and the seed carry a reputation in natural skincare as anti-ageing ingredients, credited with mopping up free radicals.
• Grape juice is popularly credited with supporting alertness and concentration, and naturopathy places it among the “brain food” fruits.
• Spring sap gathered from a pruned vine (the “weeping vine”) was traditionally kept as a soothing wash — a piece of folklore rather than current practice.

How to use it

Fresh fruit

• A small bunch, roughly a cupped handful, is the usual everyday serving. Eat the skin and the seeds: that is where the flavonoids and resveratrol sit.
• Rinse under cold running water and leave to drain; grape skins hold dust and spray residue.
• Best from late summer to mid-autumn, when the bunches are picked locally and the sugars are highest.

Juice

• Press or blend dark grapes, skins included, and sieve. A small glass — about half a mug — is plenty, taken with a meal rather than on an empty stomach.
• Drink it the day it is made; grape juice ferments fast at room temperature.
• The traditional autumn “cure” ran for a few days only, never as a permanent diet.

Vine leaf infusion

• Use one heaped teaspoon of dried, crumbled vine leaf per cup. Pour on water just off the boil, cover, steep 10 minutes, strain.
• Taste: green, dry and tannic. Honey or a slice of lemon softens it considerably.
• Traditionally taken as one or two cups a day for a short spell of a week or two, then stopped, not sipped indefinitely.
• Cooled, the same infusion was used as a compress on tired legs, applied for 10 to 15 minutes.

Grape seed oil

• A neutral, light oil with a high smoke point: good for pan-frying, mayonnaise and vinaigrettes.
• Cosmetically, a few drops are massaged into damp skin — it sinks in fast and leaves no film.

In the kitchen

• Garden grapes go into jam, tarts and jellies, and of course wine.
• Throw whole grapes into the roasting tin for the last few minutes with chicken, duck or guinea fowl; they burst and sweeten the pan juices.
• Young leaves picked in late spring to early summer are blanched for a minute, then rolled around rice and herbs.
• Halved grapes lift a cheese board, a chicken salad or a bowl of yoghurt with toasted nuts.

Frequently Asked Questions

The one thing to remember: eat dark grapes whole, skin and seeds included, in a modest handful — the skin is where the interesting compounds are.

Should I eat the skin and the seeds?

Yes, if you can. Resveratrol and the flavonoid pigments are concentrated in the skin, and the seeds carry the same family of compounds. Rinse the bunch well first, and chew the seeds rather than swallowing them whole.

Are red grapes better than white ones?

Red and black grapes carry more of the coloured flavonoid pigments and more resveratrol, which is why herbal tradition favours them. White grapes are slightly sweeter and a little higher in calories. Both count as fruit; pick the ones you will actually eat.

How do I make a vine leaf infusion?

Use one heaped teaspoon of dried, crumbled vine leaf per cup, pour over water just off the boil, cover and steep for 10 minutes, then strain. It tastes green and tannic, so honey or lemon helps. Tradition takes one or two cups a day for a week or two, then stops.

Is the autumn grape cure a good idea?

It is a genuine old European practice, a few days of eating mostly ripe grapes in autumn, credited with easing stiff joints and sluggish digestion. It is also very high in sugar and nutritionally narrow. Keep it short, and skip it entirely if you are pregnant, unwell or managing your sugar intake.

What can I do with grape seed oil?

In the kitchen it is a neutral oil with a high smoke point — ideal for frying, mayonnaise and dressings. On the skin, a few drops massaged into damp skin sink in quickly without leaving a greasy film.

This information is provided for general interest and reflects the traditional use of plants. It is not a substitute for medical advice. If you are on medication, pregnant, or in any doubt, ask a healthcare professional.