Source of Resveratrol: Wine is not only Resveratrol Source
- Wine is not the only source of Resveratrol. First discovered in 1940 in the roots of the white hellebore plant, Resveratrol has since been found in higher concentrations elsewhere. It is mainly found in ‘seed producing’ plants like grapes ( a vine plant ), yucca, eucalyptus, spruce, lily, blueberries, cranberries, mulberries, peanuts and even chocolate.
- In grapes, the skins are the home of resveratrol, not the seeds or the fruit ( though the vine itself has some resveratrol in it).
- Vitis vinifera, labrusca and muscadine grapes carry the highest concentration of resveratrol, but ultimately the cultivar, the geographic location and the exposure to fungus and infection determine the concentration.
- Juice and wines made with red/purple grapes provide the most resveratrol. The amount of resveratrol red wine and grape juices have largely dependent on the duration the grapes skins remain in the production process. According to LeRoy Creasy. Professor of Pomology at Cornell University, grape juice is not only a very consistent source of resveratrol – but grapes juice has more resveratrol than 60% of all wines. Creasy indicates that red wine vinegar is another source of resveratrol, but not as concentrated.
- Japanese Knotweed (also known as polygonum cuspidatum) is the major source of the resveratrol in resveratrol supplements. According to Wikipedia, Japanese Knotweed goes by many other names as well including: fleece flower, Himalayan fleece vine, monkey weed, Hancock’s curse, elephant ears, pea shooters, donkey rhubarb (although it is not a rhubarb), sally rhubarb, Japanese bamboo, American bamboo, and Mexican bamboo (though it is not a bamboo). In Japanese, the name is “itadori”, and is used in making itadori tea.
- Another strange source of resveratrol is peanuts. One of ounce of peanuts contains approximately 73 micrograms of resveratrol, which is equivalent to almost 2 pound of grapes.( A fluid ounce of red wine contains almost twice that). Even though some people stay away from peanuts because of their fat content, peanuts are an excellent food source of vitamin E. They also provide approximately 2 grams of fibre per ounce, and is a good resveratrol source, folic acid, thiamin, niacin, copper, manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, and zinc.