Plant/Part: Herb/Seed (Source: France)
Latin Name: Daucus Carota
Family: Apiaceae (Umbeliferae)
Extraction: Steam Distillation
AROMA: From the seed, this essential oil has the same sweet, earthy fragrance of the vegetable.

PROPERTIES: Carminative, Cytophylactic, Depurative, Diuretic, Emmenagogue, Hepatic, Stimulant, Tonic, Vermifuge. Considered to be particularly beneficial for dry, mature skin-types and can help to restore elasticity to the skin and could therefore reduce wrinkles. The root oil is used in food coloring, (yellow), and in sun tan lotions. An excellent purifier of the body, mainly due to its detoxifying effect on the liver. Can possibly help with jaundice as well as other liver problems. Reputedly expels kidney stones and eases hepatitis. Also cleanses the bowels, controls flatulence and stems diarrhoea.

CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS: Acetic (Acid), Carotol (Alcohol), Asarone (Phenol), Bisabolene, Limonene, Pinene (Terpenes).

PRECAUTIONS: Best avoided during pregnancy.

BLENDS: Blends well with: Bergamot, Juniper, Lavender, Lemon, Lime , Melissa, Neroli, Orange, Petitgrain, Rosemary.

Digestive: stimulates the production of gastric juices (carminative), aids digestion, tones the liver (hepatic) and regenerates its cells. used for indigestion, colic, liver congestion, cirrhosis. good after the acute phase of hepatitis, a violent bilious attack or drug poisoning. regulates cholesterol levels.

Genito-Urinary: tones the kidneys, stimulates the production of urine (diuretic) and menstrual blood (emmenagogue).

Circulatory: cleanses the blood. helps to increase the level of haemoglobin.

Skin/Hair: anti-inflammatory, revitalizes and tones the skin. used to treat dermatitis, eczema, rashes, as well as wrinkles. mailhebiau recommends carrot seed diluted in wheatgerm oil as a suntan lotion.

Other: dilates blood vessels and relaxes smooth muscles.

Caution: overdosed, can be nauseating – always blend with other essences.

The humble carrot has been known as a medicinal plant, as well as a culinary one, at least since the time of Dioscorides (1st Century A.D.) Many references to it occur in earlier Greek writings, but they are ambiguous about its name and description, whereas Dioscorides gives an accurate description of the modern domestic carrot (Daucus Carota).

An essential oil can be distilled from the leaves, roots, flowers and seeds, and it is very pale yellow in colour, with the characteristic smell of carrots. It has a powerful tonic action on the liver and gall-bladder, and is used in the treatment of jaundice and other liver disorders. It has been used to treat ulcerative conditions of the skin and even skin cancers, which is extremely interesting, in the light of the use of large amounts of carrot juice and/or raw carrots every day by pioneers in the ‘gentle’ treatment of cancer. Carrot root contains a precursor of Vitamin A, which is valuable in cancer treatment and prevention, as well as Vitamins B1, B2 and C, and is one of the most useful forms of dietary fibre. (None of these are found in the essential oil).

Carrot is a good aid to healthy skin. The essential oil, used in a cream or diluted in almond oil, restores tone and elasticity and may even reduce wrinkling. It is especially useful in spring, to undo some of the ravages of cold winds, over-heated homes and workplaces, and a diet that has perhaps been inadequate in vitamin content during the winter months.