Varicose and spider veins are a common problem that affects 50% Americans, and women are at higher risk. Most people keep postponing professional treatment for years because at the beginning varicose and spider veins are mainly a cosmetic concern rather than a serious health issue.

There are many natural products and herbal supplements on the market now and it is becoming increasingly hard to navigate through the flood of teas, ointments and tablets. That’s why we are going to look into one specific natural remedy recommended for varicose veins and see if it is worth trying out – grape seed.

Grapes are very healthy berries full of vitamins and they have been used in alternative medicine since Ancient Greece. Grapes have many potent properties and one of them stands out – they contain flavonoids. Flavonoids, sometimes called bioflavonoids, were formerly referred to as Vitamin P, but that term is no longer used. I am not going to bore you here with chemical structures and other details. The important thing is that flavonoids have a lot of health benefits: they are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, antibacterial, antiviral, etc. What’s more, recent studies have shown that flavonoids have a positive effect when treating cardiovascular diseases:

• They help blood circulation
• They relax blood vessels
• They reduce arterial blood pressure
• They reduce hypertension
• They prevent formation of blood clots
• They reduce atherosclerosis

These are all very powerful attributes when fighting vein-related disorders. Unfortunately, the research is currently ongoing and there have not been any official conclusions published yet. That should not stop you from giving flavonoids a chance, whether you want to just eat grapes in their natural state, or buy a grape seed extract. Keep in mind though, that if you are experiencing symptoms of varicose and spider veins it is still advisable to discuss it with your physician and have your legs thoroughly examined by a medical professional. After all, varicose veins could be caused by a severe underlying condition that herbal products and natural remedies simply do not have the power to overcome.