Muscadine and Summer Grape
Written by Carmin Nezat
Muscadine grape, Vitis rotundifolia
Muscadine grape, Vitis rotundifolia, is a native, deciduous climbing vine unique to the American South. In nature, it is typically found in dry upland forests with especially sandy or rocky soil, swamps, roadsides, and thickets. Natively growing in the southeast and central states, the muscadine grape is much more adapted to a warmer climate compared to its Northern relatives; the berries are large and packed with anti-oxidants, and almost black when ripe. They are used to create jams, jellies, juices and wines. Differing from other grape species, the vine’s tendrils are simple, while other species have forked tendrils.
Other names for Muscadine are: Scuppernong Grape (this cultivar named from the Scuppernong River in NC), Munson’s Grape (Vitis var. munsoniana), bull grape, bullace, bullets (all based on the fruit being the size of a bull's eye) and Southern Fox Grape.
But in Cajun country, it may be referred to as “Liane de soco.” “Liane,” French for vine, and “soco” meaning muscadine. But the word “soco” is not French, it’s Choctaw.
Read, William A. Louisiana French. 1931. Louisiana State University Press, revised edition 1963. P 106.
The traditional, medicinal Cajun use for Vitis rotundifolia was as a tea of the vine for kidney problems.
But surely we all know that wasn’t it’s only use down here. Muscadines were (still are) frequently grown in vegetable gardens in Louisiana (and all over the south!) for its excellent jams, jellies, snackability and for the big one: wine.
Wine making is a thousands-of-years old art, and the Cajuns surely weren’t left on the sidelines for that one. A cool thing about muscadine wine is that it’s ready to drink rather quickly—It doesn’t have to age like European-style wines (surely that’s why summer-made Cajun wine rarely makes it to Christmas, right?)
Muscadine wine at home, Samantha Galaviz
Muscadine’s ability to thrive in the sometimes-oppressive climate of the south and its resistance to pests and disease (a few of the many benefits of native plants in general) have of course made it the front runner against any other grape species and has become such a symbol of resourcefulness and ingenuity. A celebratory beverage made from wild-growing grapes that required almost no cultivation? What a deal.
Additionally, and like almost all celebrated foods and traditions of the American South, “[muscadines’] role in rural Black culture dates back to the days of indentured servitude and chattel slavery. Muscadine was a dietary staple found in the woods, but in the form of wine it was enjoyed in plantation and farm quarters as well as in the homes of free men and women” (Olivier Blanchard, 2022).
The Cherokee used the fruits of Vitis rotundifolia as a food and juice product. The Seminole used the fruit of Vitis rotundifolia (var. munsoniana) as a food source and utilized the plant parts as an emetic during religious ceremonies, an infusion of the plant for chronically ill babies (unspecified), to wash snakebites, and as a ceremonial medicine using plant parts added to food after a recent death in the community. The Creek/Muskogee word for “muscadine” is “cókŏ:cî:.”
Holmes, Walter C. Flore Louisiane. 1990. p137
Recent medical revelations from university scientists show that muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia) offer significant health benefits when skins or seed capsules are consumed. Researchers at Mississippi State University discovered significant presence of resveratrol and other heart-health antioxidant, compound benefits that are found in heavy concentrations in muscadine grape vines. University of Georgia researchers have shown that the seeds and skins of muscadines contain ellagic acid, an organic chemical compound that possesses the highest concentration of antioxidants that has yet been analyzed or found in any other fruit. These organic chemical substances in grapevines are trans-located to the grape skin, juice, and seed.
Summer grape, Vitis aestivalis
More historical/traditional information is found on Summer grape/Vitis aestivalis. It would seem that the application of this species, via the Indigenous people, of course, would be where the Cajuns learned about using Muscadine/Vitis rotundifolia for kidney issues.
This species is also known as “summer grape” or “pigeon grape.” It is native to eastern North America from southern Ontario east to Maine, west to Oklahoma, and south to Florida and Texas. It is a vigorous vine, growing to 10 m or more high in trees. The Summer grape species has a well known red wine grape called ‘Norton’; the grapes can be used to create jams and jellies, and were once cultivated by the Cherokee.
The Cherokee are documented as using the fruits of “telû΄latĭ” or “TE-lo-di” as a food and juice source as well as using a compound of the plant parts for diarrhea and irregular urination, a compound decoction used to wash a child’s mouth for thrush, a compound infusion of bark taken for “bad disease” (unspecified), an infusion of the leaf taken ”for blood” and liver, an infusion of the plant taken as a “fall tonic” and “for stomach,” the wilted leaves used to draw soreness from breast after birth of a child; and an infusion of the bark for “urinary troubles.”
The Seminole are documented as using a decoction of leaves and stems for headaches, fevers, stomach aches and chronically ill babies (unspecified),it was also used as an emetic during religious ceremonies, and as a ceremonial medicine using plant parts added to food after a recent death in the community; the plant was also used as food, as cordage to build structures, and as ‘coffin lashing’. The Creek/Muskogee word for ‘summer grape’ is “cókŏ:cî:.”
The Choctaw are documented as using the plant as a “refrigerant” (febrifuge), as a tonic, and 'water of the grape vine' taken and used as a wash to induce lactation. —-The following image is a journal entry written by the naturalist Gideon Lincecum about Choctaw customs regarding Vitis aestivalis he witnessed in the early 1800’s:
It reads: “Refrigerant, tonic, acrid. The grapevine ashes has long been used as a diuretic, particularly in dropsy (edema, fluid retention). It is a good article, but as its diuretic properties depends upon the potash (salt and potassium from ashes) it contains. I suppose it possesses no advantage over the common sal aeratus of commerce (the salts undergo a purification by fire, and the potash of commerce is obtained). It is said that to wash the hair frequently with the sap of the grapevine, will make it grow very long. I was witness to a case while I resided with the Choctaw Indians which to me was very singular. There was a woman between 14 and 15 years of age who died in childbirth leaving her infant child to the care of its grandmother. This old woman was 55 years of age when she took the child and had not nursed a child since the mother of the infant in question was weaned. She took the infant and as is custom of Indian women, she cried and grieved over it, sympathizing with and strongly desiring that she might give nourishment to, and be able to raise up the infant to take the place of its deceased mother, and all the time and often as 5 or 6 times a day she washed her breast with and drank freely of the water of the grape vine. The result was, that in the course of a week she began to secrete milk, and very soon her breasts were full and plump, and she nourished the child sufficiently to keep it healthy and fat. She told me that it was the custom of her countrywomen.”
Medicinal and chemical components worth noting:
The leaves and vines of all grape species contain ample amounts of tannins which are astringent in nature. Grapevine leaf preparations can be used for treatment of chronic (long-term) venous insufficiency, a condition associated with swollen legs, varicose veins and a feeling of heaviness, pain, tiredness, itching, tension and cramps in the calves. Grapevine leaf preparations can be used for relief of discomfort and heaviness of legs related to minor problems with blood circulation in the veins, for relief of itching and burning associated with haemorrhoids (piles). The use of these grapevine leaf preparations for minor blood circulation problems, haemorrhoids and skin capillary fragility are based on their ‘traditional use’. This means that, although there is insufficient evidence from clinical trials, the effectiveness of these herbal medicines is plausible.
Resveratrol is found in widely varying amounts in grapes, primarily in the skins and seeds. For instance, the skin and seeds of muscadine grapes have about one hundred times the concentration as the pulp. Red or not, grapes of all colors offer comparable benefits. Fresh grape skin contains about 50 to 100 micrograms of resveratrol per gram. The amount found in grape skins also varies with the grape cultivar, its geographic origin, and exposure to fungal infection. Many of the healthful properties of grapes may actually come from the seeds themselves. Since the 1980s, biochemical and medical studies have demonstrated powerful antioxidant properties of grape seed oligomeric proanthocyanidins (Bagchi et al. 2000). Together with tannins, polyphenols, and polyunsaturated fatty acids, these seed constituents display inhibitory activities against several experimental disease models, including cancer, heart failure, and other disorders of oxidative stress.
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Muscadines are a part of our heritage in the South, from summertime dessert wine to medicinal applications learned from our Indigenous neighbors and friends.
Embrace tradition and plant a vine or two!
This content is for informational and historical purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider for any health-related concerns or before making any decisions about your health or treatment. Do not ever consume wild foods you are not familiar with or may have allergies to.
Holmes, Walter C. Flore Louisiane: An Ethnobotanical Study of French-Speaking Louisiana. University of Southwestern Louisiana. Lafayette, Louisiana. 1990. P137
Hutton, Kimberly, "A Comparative Study of the Plants Used for Medicinal Purposes by the Creek and Seminoles Tribes" (2010). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/1665 P104
Banks, William H. Jr., "Ethnobotany of the Cherokee Indians.” Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 1953. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1052 P85
English and Muskokee Dictionary p177
Read-Louisiana-French.pdf P106
The Gideon Lincecum Virtual Herbarium. https://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/lincecum/pages/Vitis_aestivalis-notes.html
Black Food Heritage: Muscadine Wine Memories in the South - BSB MEDIA
The Native Grape Vines of North America - Eat The Planet 20 Vitis rotundifolia (Muscadine Grape, Scuppernong Grape, Southern Fox Grape) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (ncsu.edu)
Healers-Garden-Brochure-Web.pdf (vermilionville.org) muscadine vine
Perry, Myra Jean, 1975, Food Use of 'Wild' Plants by Cherokee Indians, The University of Tennessee, M.S. Thesis, page 60. BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database vitis rotundifolia
Sturtevant, William, 1954, The Mikasuki Seminole: Medical Beliefs and Practices, Yale University, PhD Thesis, page 409, 475, 282, 328, 297, 342. BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database vitis rotundifolia
The Amazing American Muscadine is Delicious- With Dramatic Health Benefits (tytyga.com)
The Amazing American Muscadine is Delicious- With Dramatic Health Benefits (tytyga.com) 29 The Native Grape Vines of North America - Eat The Planet
Hamel, Paul B. and Mary U. Chiltoskey, 1975, Cherokee Plants and Their Uses -- A 400 Year History, Sylva, N.C. Herald Publishing Co., page 37. BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database Vitis aestivalis.
Taylor, Linda Averill, 1940, Plants Used As Curatives by Certain Southeastern Tribes, Cambridge, MA. Botanical Museum of Harvard University, page 41. BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database vitis aestivalis
Campbell, T.N., 1951, Medicinal Plants Used by Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek Indians in the Early Nineteenth Century, Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences 41(9):285-290, page 287. BRIT - Native American Ethnobotany Database vitis aestivalis