Herb's Introduction
Vitis vinifera Linn., belonging to the family Vitaceae, is one of the oldest and most economically important cultivated plants globally, primarily known for its fruit—the grape. It is a large, perennial, woody climbing shrub, renowned not only as a fruit crop for fresh consumption, dried raisins, juice, and wine production but also for its significant medicinal value across various traditional systems of medicine, including Ayurveda and Unani. In Ayurveda, it is known as Draksha or Mrdvika and is highly regarded as a sweet, cooling, and nutritive herb. The plant's various parts—fruit (especially dried), leaves, seeds, and sap—are utilized for their therapeutic properties, which are largely attributed to a rich content of phytochemicals like flavonoids, tannins, and the potent antioxidant, resveratrol.
Name in Different Countries
Language Name(s) English Grapes, Common Grape Vine Arabic كرمة نبيذية (Karmat Nabidhia) Assami Dakh, Munaqqa Bengali Maneka Bulgarian Vino Chinese 葡萄 (Pú táo) French Vigne cultivée German Weinrebe Gujarat Drakh, Darakh Hindi Angur Hungarian Bortermő szőlő Japanese ヨーロッパブドウ (Yoroppa budō) Kannada Draksha Malayalam Munthringya Marathi Draksha, Angur Oriya Drakya, Gostoni Persian ریشبابا (Rīshbābā) Punjabi Munaca Russian виноград, Виноград культурный (vinograd, Vinograd kul'turnyy) Sanskrit Mrdvika, Gostani Spanish Vid Tamil Diratchai, Drakshai Telugu Draksha Urdu Munaqqa Export to Sheets
Terminology
Scientific Name: Vitis vinifera Linn. Family: Vitaceae (Grape Family) Ayurvedic Name: Draksha, Mrdvika (referring often to the fruit or raisin). Botanical Classification: A species of the genus Vitis. Common Terms for parts: Grapes (fresh fruit), Raisins (dried fruit, also called Munaqqa in some languages), Grape Seed Extract (a prominent supplement derived from the seeds). Key Chemical Constituents: Flavonoids (like Quercetin), Proanthocyanidins, Procyanidins, Stilbenes (like Resveratrol), Tannins, Tartaric acid, Malic acid, and various vitamins (A, B1, B2, C) and minerals.
Availability
Vitis vinifera is arguably the most widely cultivated fruit crop in the world and is grown extensively across temperate regions globally. Commercial Availability: Grapes (fresh fruit) and raisins (dried fruit) are universally available in grocery stores and markets. Medicinal Availability: The plant parts are readily available for medicinal use: Raisins/Dried Fruits (Draksha/Munaqqa): Used in traditional preparations, widely available. Grape Seed Extract (GSE): Available as a popular dietary and antioxidant supplement worldwide. Leaves: Used in some traditional dishes (like Dolma) and in herbal preparations. Cultivation in Nepal: While the exact extent of its use in the "Medicinal Plants of Nepal" context is specific, the plant (or its relatives) may be cultivated or traded. Traditional Nepali systems and markets dealing with Ayurvedic herbs likely include Draksha (raisins) as an imported or cultivated medicinal ingredient, given its importance in the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia.
External Look
Vitis vinifera is typically a robust, deciduous, climbing shrub. Stem and Habit: It possesses a stout main stem that can become large and woody (up to 1.5 m in girth), with long, climbing branches (15-20 meters) that attach to supports using coiled, unbranched tendrils. Leaves: The leaves are large (10.5-20 x 7-15 cm), orbicular, cordate (heart-shaped base), and often pentagonal or deeply dissected. The margins are serrate or irregularly dentate. They are usually glabrous (smooth) or nearly so above, and sometimes sparsely grey-tomentose (hairy) beneath. Flowers: Small, greenish, and often functionally pistillate or bisexual, forming dense, elongated clusters. Fruit (Berry): The grape is a berry, highly variable in size, shape, and color depending on the cultivar. Colors range from purple, black-violet, and red to pinkish or greenish. The fruit contains a juicy, sweet or sour pulp and typically 2-4 pyriform or ovoid seeds (5-6 mm long), though seedless varieties exist. Seeds: The small seeds are pyriform (pear-shaped) or ovoid and contain valuable oils and extracts.
Healing Properties
Vitis vinifera is credited with a wide range of healing and therapeutic properties, particularly concentrated in the fruit, seeds, and leaves. Antioxidant and Cardiovascular Protection: Highly potent antioxidant activity, primarily from polyphenols (flavonoids and resveratrol) in the skin and seeds. This property is crucial for cardiovascular protectant effects, promoting general heart health, and preventing degenerative disorders. Anti-inflammatory and Astringent: Exhibits anti-inflammatory properties, useful in conditions like hemorrhoids and general inflammation. The leaves and seeds are specifically noted as astringent, helping to stop bleeding and relieve diarrhea. Demulcent, Cooling, and Laxative: The dried fruit (raisins) is demulcent (soothing to irritated tissues), cooling, and gently laxative, making it valuable for coughs, thirst, and constipation. Stomachic and Nutritive: The dried fruits are nourishing, invigorating, and stomachic (promoting appetite/digestion), used for general debility and wasting diseases. Specific Actions (Ayurvedic/Unani): Mulayyan batan (Laxative), Musammin badan (Adipogenous/Fattening for the body), Muqawwi qalb (Cardiotonic), Haematinic (improves blood quality, useful in anemia), Munaffis (Expectorant).
Advantages
The advantages of using Vitis vinifera for medicinal purposes are numerous: High Nutritional Value: Especially the dried fruit (raisins) provides energy, fiber, vitamins (B-complex, C), and minerals, making it excellent for general debility, convalescence, and anemia. Cardiovascular Health Support: Grape Seed Extract is widely promoted and clinically studied for its potential to support vein health (e.g., varicose veins) and general cardiovascular function due to potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Broad Spectrum of Use: Different parts of the plant offer distinct benefits—leaves for astringent action (diarrhea), fruit for laxative and demulcent properties (constipation, cough), and seeds for potent antioxidants. Culinary and Medicinal Synergy: The main medicinal part (the fruit) is also a widely consumed food, making it easy to incorporate into the diet for health benefits. Ayurvedic and Folk Medicine Validation: Its uses are deeply rooted in multiple traditional systems, including Ayurveda, Unani, and European folk medicine, attesting to its long-standing therapeutic reputation.
Uses
Vitis vinifera is used for a diverse range of ailments: Plant Part Primary Uses Dried Fruit (Raisins/Munaqqa) Constipation, coughs, hoarseness, general debility, consumption (wasting diseases), thirst, bronchitis, anemia (Faqr-ud-dam), enlarged liver/spleen. Ripe Fruit (Grapes) Jaundice, general debility, kidney and liver diseases, skin/eye infections, anti-cancer (historically). Unripe Fruit Juice Astringent, used for throat affections and sores. Leaves Astringent, used in diarrhoea, to stop bleeding, pain and inflammation of hemorrhoids, toothache (chewed). Sap of Young Branches Remedy for skin diseases and opthalmia (eye infections) in European folk medicine. Grape Seed Extract Antioxidant supplement, treatment of varicose veins and other vein disorders, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular protectant. Folk Uses Lumbago, Edema, Measles, Palpitation, Difficulty in urination, Threatened abortion, Insomnia, Abscess suppuration. Export to Sheets
Using Way
The preparation and administration of Vitis vinifera varies depending on the desired medicinal effect: For General Health and Debility: The most common way is consuming the dried fruit (raisins) directly as a snack or soaking them in water overnight and consuming them in the morning. They are highly nourishing and gently laxative. For Constipation/Laxative Effect: Consume raisins in larger quantities or their juice. For Cough, Thirst, and Soothing (Demulcent): Dried fruits can be steeped or boiled in water to create a soothing decoction. Raisins are also a key ingredient in Ayurvedic preparations like Aristas (medicated fermented drinks). For Digestive Astringent Action (Diarrhea): A decoction or preparation made from the leaves or seeds is traditionally used due to their astringent properties. The sap of the young branches is also used for skin ailments. For Inflammation and Antioxidant Support: Grape Seed Extract (GSE) is typically consumed as a standardized capsule or tablet supplement, providing concentrated proanthocyanidins. External Application: Mustard oil spread on the leaf, mildly warmed and applied for boils. The stem can be mixed with other herbs and applied to treat inflammation.
Conclusion
Vitis vinifera, or Draksha, stands out as a truly vital medicinal plant, bridging the gap between a globally consumed food product and a powerhouse of therapeutic compounds. From the sweet, demulcent, and laxative properties of its dried fruit, prized in Ayurvedic treatment for debility and cough, to the potent antioxidant and cardiovascular protective effects concentrated in its seeds, the grapevine offers comprehensive health benefits. Its historical usage across multiple continents for ailments ranging from chronic bronchitis and anemia to skin diseases and hemorrhoids underscores its importance. Modern science continues to validate traditional uses, particularly highlighting the role of polyphenols like resveratrol in maintaining cardiovascular health and combating oxidative stress. Thus, Vitis vinifera remains a cornerstone of both diet and herbal medicine, offering a readily accessible and highly effective natural remedy.
