Grape leaves: vitamins in the leaf, salt in the brine

The 2020 Cochrane review of oral vein remedies drew on 56 randomized trials with 7,690 people, and none of them tested grape leaf extract. Two trials outside that review did, using AS 195, a standardized pharmaceutical extract of red vine leaves. In 257 outpatients with mild chronic venous insufficiency, 720 mg a day for 12 weeks cut lower leg volume by 99.9 g against placebo (95% CI 69.6 to 130.3). In 248 patients with more advanced disease, the same dose shrank the leg by 1.3 tbsp (19.9 ml) more than placebo (95% CI 2.3 to 37.5), a small effect. That is a medicine, and its results say nothing about dolma. For raw grape leaves as a food, US tables list 1,376 ug vitamin A, 108.6 ug vitamin K and 363 mg calcium per 3.5 oz (100 g), from a single record. A rice-stuffed roll weighs 2 oz (56 g) in US surveys, and the leaf itself is only a few grams of that.

The numbers, per 3.5 oz (100 g)

How much is actually in it

• Raw grape leaves carry about 1,376 ug vitamin A, 108.6 ug vitamin K, 363 mg calcium and 11 g fiber per 3.5 oz (100 g) in US food tables. — USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, FDC 168575, Grape leaves, raw (n = 1 record) Evidence E source
  93 calories, vitamin A 1376 ug RAE, vitamin K 108.6 ug, calcium 363 mg, fiber 11 g, iron 2.63 mg, sodium 9 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What a real portion looks like

• US dietary surveys weigh one rice-stuffed grape leaf roll at 56 g, while a beef and rice roll is 21 g and a typical unspecified serving 7.1 oz (202 g). — USDA FNDDS, food codes 58161510 (Grape leaves stuffed with rice) and 27315270 (Stuffed grape leaves with beef and rice) (n = 5 portion measures) Evidence E source
  Rice-stuffed roll 56 g; beef and rice roll 21 g, 1 cup 162 g, quantity not specified 202 g

What cooking and storage change

• Brine-canned grape leaves hold about 2,853 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 9 mg in raw leaves, and their vitamin A drops from 1,376 to 263 ug. — USDA FoodData Central SR Legacy, FDC 168575 (raw) and FDC 169393 (canned) (n = 2 records) Evidence E source
  Sodium 9 to 2853 mg, vitamin A 1376 to 263 ug RAE, potassium 272 to 29 mg, copper 0.415 to 1.841 mg per 3.5 oz (100 g)
• For leafy greens boiled in covering water and drained, USDA tables keep about 60% of folate and 55% of vitamin C. — USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, Vegetables and Vegetable Products, VEG,GREENS,BOILED,WATER COVER DRAIN (code 3005) (n = group factor) Evidence E source
  Folate 60%, vitamin C 55%, vitamin B6 85%, copper 95% retained

What it does to your health

• In a Jordanian case-control study of 398 people, eating grape leaves and stuffed vegetables was linked to lower odds of cardiovascular disease. — 205 cases and 193 controls referred for coronary angiography, Amman, Jordan (n = 398) Evidence C source
  Significant inverse association for grape leaves and stuffed vegetables; size not given in abstract
• In a 12-week RCT of 257 patients with mild venous insufficiency, 720 mg of red vine leaf extract daily cut lower leg volume by about 100 g versus placebo. — Outpatients aged 25 to 75 with stage I to II chronic venous insufficiency, 12 weeks (n = 257) Evidence B source
  Lower leg volume -75.9 g (95% CI -106.1 to -45.8) with 360 mg and -99.9 g (95% CI -130.3 to -69.6) with 720 mg versus placebo
• In a 12-week RCT of 248 patients with more advanced venous insufficiency, red vine leaf extract reduced limb volume by about 1.4 tbsp (20 ml) more than placebo. — 248 patients with CEAP 3-4a chronic venous insufficiency, 720 mg daily, 12 weeks (n = 248) Evidence B source
  Limb volume -4 tsp (-19.9 ml) versus placebo (95% CI -37.5 to -2.3), effect size 0.28; leg pain -6.6 mm VAS; other symptoms unchanged

Safety, limits and interactions

• In EU monitoring for 2023, 20.2% of unprocessed and 39% of canned or salted grape leaf samples exceeded pesticide residue limits. — EU official pesticide residue monitoring, reporting year 2023 Evidence E source
  Non-compliance 20.2% (unprocessed, over 100 samples) and 39% (canned/jarred and salted)

What people believe that the data does not support

• Three members of a Turkish family were poisoned after eating dolma made with toxic Datura flowers in place of the usual leaves, and all recovered. — 3 family members, emergency department, Turkey (n = 3) Evidence D source
  Anticholinergic poisoning, no deaths

Who this works differently for

• In a Southern California diet survey, the few people who ate stuffed grape leaves had the largest portions of any food, about 242 g or six rolls. — 186 adults and adolescents, Southern California online survey, 2023 (n = 186) Evidence C source
  Consumed by 6% of respondents; 242 g per consumer; eaten by 38.9% of Middle Eastern participants and no Hispanic or Indian participants

What is still unknown

• The 2020 Cochrane review of oral phlebotonics pooled 56 RCTs with 7,690 people, and none of them tested grape leaf extract. — 56 RCTs of oral phlebotonics in chronic venous insufficiency (n = 7690) Evidence A source
  Phlebotonics as a class reduced edema (RR 0.70, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.78); agents covered were rutosides, diosmine, calcium dobesilate, Centella, aminaftone, pine bark and grape seed

The bottom line

Brine changes the leaf. Canned leaves hold about 2,853 mg sodium per 3.5 oz (100 g) against 9 mg in raw leaves, and vitamin A falls from 1,376 to 263 ug, figures from two separate samples and never a paired test. We found no data on how much salt rinsing removes. For leafy greens boiled and drained, USDA keeps about 60 percent of folate and 55 percent of vitamin C, a group factor that was never measured on grape leaves. Pesticides are the other catch. In EU monitoring for 2023, 39 percent of canned or salted grape leaf samples and 20.2 percent of unprocessed ones broke legal residue limits, in sampling that targeted suspect batches. Breaking a limit is not automatically a health risk. In Jordan, a case-control study of 398 people linked eating grape leaves and stuffed vegetables with lower odds of heart disease, and the abstract gives no size for that link. In a Southern California survey of 186 people, the few who ate stuffed grape leaves reported the biggest portions of any food, about 242 g or six rolls, from self-reported amounts. One Turkish family was poisoned by dolma made with Datura flowers in place of vine leaves, and all three recovered. The cautions we can support are salt and pesticide residues. We have no card on grape leaves in pregnancy, in allergy or alongside medicines, and none on vitamin K and medicines whose dose depends on vitamin K intake. Anyone taking such a medicine should not read the vitamin K figure above as a reason to eat more grape leaves, because this page cannot say what a change in how much they eat would mean for them.

Sources

1. grlv-daily-r4-01 · dataset
   Grape leaves, raw (FDC 168575): Energy 93 kcal; Fiber, total dietary 11 g; Calcium, Ca 363 mg; Iron, Fe 2.63 mg; Sodium, Na 9 mg; Vitamin A, RAE 1376 ug; Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 108.6 ug per 100 g
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2019-04-01, FDC 168575 (Grape leaves, raw) · checked 2026-09-30
2. grlv-daily-r4-04 · dataset
   Grape leaves stuffed with rice (FNDDS 58161510): 1 roll 56 g; Quantity not specified 56 g; Stuffed grape leaves with beef and rice (FNDDS 27315270): 1 roll 21 g; 1 cup 162 g; Quantity not specified 202 g
   USDA FNDDS, food codes 58161510 (fdc_id 2709064) and 27315270 (fdc_id 2706621) · checked 2026-09-30
3. grlv-daily-r4-02 · dataset
   Grape leaves, raw (FDC 168575): Sodium 9 mg, Vitamin A, RAE 1376 ug, Potassium 272 mg, Copper 0.415 mg; Grape leaves, canned (FDC 169393): Sodium 2853 mg, Vitamin A, RAE 263 ug, Potassium 29 mg, Copper 1.841 mg
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 2019-04-01, FDC 168575 and FDC 169393 · checked 2026-09-30
4. grlv-daily-r4-03 · dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:3005 Vegetables and Vegetable Products, VEG,GREENS,BOILED,WATER COVER DRAIN: vitamin_c_mg 55%; folate_total_ug 60%; vitamin_b6_mg 85%; copper_mg 95%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), Retn_Code 3005 · checked 2026-09-30
5. grlv-daily-r4-06 · case-control
   A total of 398 participants (205 cases and 193 controls) referred for elective coronary angiography with clinical suspicion of coronary artery disease to Prince Hamza Hospital in Amman were enrolled in this case-control study... For the vegetables, the consumption of grape leaves and stuffed vegetables in general was significantly associated with lower risk of CVD.
   Cent Eur J Public Health, 2020 · checked 2026-09-30
6. grlv-daily-r4-09 · RCT
   Red vine leaf extract (RVLE) is a herbal medicine containing several flavonoids, with quercetin-3-O-beta-glucuronide and isoquercitrin (quercetin-3-O-beta-glycoside) as the main components... after 12 weeks of treatment, the difference in mean lower leg volume between the active treatment groups and the placebo group was -75.9 g (95% CI: -106.1 to -45.8 g) and -99.9 g (95% CI: -130.3 to -69.6 g) for the group treated with 360-mg AS 195 (N = 86) and 720-mg AS 195 (N = 84), respectively.
   Kiesewetter H et al., Arzneimittelforschung, 2000 · checked 2026-09-30
7. grlv-daily-r4-10 · RCT
   The full-analysis set included 248 patients (placebo: n = 122; AS195: n = 126). After 12 weeks, AS195 significantly reduced lower limb volume by a mean of 19.9 standard error (SE) 8.9 ml over placebo (95% confidence interval (CI): -37.5, -2.3; p = 0.0268; analysis of covariance, ANCOVA).
   Rabe E et al., Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg, 2011 · checked 2026-09-30
8. grlv-daily-r4-11 · agency report
   The processed food products with a non-compliance rate higher than 10% and more than 10 samples reported were: grape leaves and similar species mainly canned/jarred and salted (39%)... Those unprocessed food products for which more than 100 samples were reported and the non-compliance rate was higher than 10% were: grape leaves and similar species (20.2%)
   EFSA, The 2023 European Union report on pesticide residues in food, EFSA Journal 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
9. grlv-daily-r4-07 · case series
   Herein we present a family that had three of its members poisoned after eating a traditional meal "dolma" made of datura flowers. None had fatal complications and all were discharged healthy.
   Turk J Emerg Med, 2015 · checked 2026-09-30
10. grlv-daily-r4-05 · cross-sectional
    Among consumers, stuffed grape leaves (consumed by only 6% of respondents), showed the highest portion size (242 g, about 6 stuffed leaves)... Similarly, stuffed grape leaves were consumed by neither Hispanic/Latinos nor Indian participants, compared to 38.9% of Middle Easterners.
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-30
11. grlv-daily-r4-08 · Cochrane review
    In total, 69 RCTs of oral phlebotonics were included, but only 56 studies (7690 participants, mean age 50 years) provided quantifiable data for the efficacy analysis. These studies used different phlebotonics (28 on rutosides, 11 on hidrosmine and diosmine, 10 on calcium dobesilate, two on Centella asiatica, two on aminaftone, two on French maritime pine bark extract and one on grape seed extract).
    Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2020 · checked 2026-09-30