Description
Latin Name : Vitis Vinifera
Belonging to the Vitaceae family, the red vine Vitis vinifera L. is a climbing shrub that was already cultivated in Antiquity for its medicinal properties. Originally from Asia Minor, this plant was introduced into the Mediterranean regions by the Phocaeans. The Romans cultivated it for its grapes and to produce wine, an age-old drink. Gift of the Gods for the Greeks, wine was recommended by Hippocrates to cure many illnesses.
Today, we find it more and more in cosmetics products for its benefits on the skin. Indeed, it allows the skin to fight against redness, brings hydration and increases collagen.
The leaves of the vine owe their beneficial properties to the presence of various substances that offer blood vessels protection. Anthocyanins, with the action of vitamin P, combat venous insufficiency and the sensitivity of the capillaries of the skin, increasing the resistance of the walls and reducing their permeability, while the tannins favor the contraction of the vessel walls, facilitating the return of accumulated blood at the extremities of the body towards the heart. Proanthocyanidins fight free radicals and stabilize the collagen found in blood vessel membranes.
The leaves are still astringent and tonic and their decoction fights obesity while also helping to regulate blood circulation. It is considered a circulatory plant, since its leaves are used to produce gels and tablets for “heavy calves”, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, sensitivity of the capillaries of the skin (vasculature, ecchymosis).
