Grape Seed Extract

Grape Seed · Grape seed proanthocyanidin extract · GSPE

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol^{1, 2} Triglycerides¹ Fasting glucose¹ Oxidative stress³ Diastolic blood pressure⁴ Fatty liver disease⁵	Anticoagulant therapy⁶ Pregnancy or breastfeeding⁷

Grape seed extract is made from wine grape seeds and contains proanthocyanidins⁴, which modulate redox balance, notably lowering lipid peroxidation markers. It is also used for blood pressure⁴, in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), in overweight or obesity⁸, and as an anticaries agent.

Meta-analyses report favorable lipid, glucose, and inflammatory effects, though the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) calls the lipid findings indefinite because studies were small and products varied⁴. A 2026 systematic review of proanthocyanidins and skeletal muscle found one small randomized trial in athletes reporting a smaller post-exercise creatine kinase rise, with no replication⁹. About 65,000 products list grape seed extract, mostly as capsules; see Form comparison.

The anticoagulant caution rests on in vitro antiplatelet activity, with clinical relevance not yet determined⁶. Per Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, patients taking blood thinners such as warfarin are asked to talk with their healthcare provider⁶.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

66 sources, 51 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources