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Herbal Glossary | Medicinal Glossary | Herbal Preparations | Ayervedic Formulas | Chinese Formulas CarrotContents:Common Names | Parts Usually Used | Plant(s) & Culture | Where Found | Medicinal Properties | Biochemical Information
Scientific Names
Common Names
Parts Usually UsedRoot (cultivated), seed (wild) Description of Plant(s) and CultureCarrot is an annual or biennial plant 2-4 feet tall. The wild carrot has a tough, white, inedible root. The stem of the carrot plant is hairy and branched, the leaves bipinnate and cut into fine divisions. The lacy, white flowers appear in a flat cluster, with 1 small deep purple floret at the center; 3 forked bracts beneath; blooms from April to October. The seeds are of a dull brown color, flat on one side and convex on the other. Where FoundWidely cultivated and also found wild in farmlands, pastures, waste places, roadsides, and meadows. Throughout the United States. Medicinal PropertiesAnthelmintic, carminative, deobstruent, diuretic, stimulant Biochemical InformationVolatile oil and other unidentified constituents, doucorin, potassium, vitamins A and C, carotene Legends, Myths and StoriesWild carrot is considered a very common weed. Proper identification is essential to make sure this plant is not mistaken for one of the deadly poisonous members of the carrot family (Umbelliferae). Carrot poultice: boil carrots until soft, or they can be used raw. Mash to a pulp, add some vegetable oil to keep them from hardening, spread on a cloth, and apply. Excellent for offensive sores. Garden carrots, grated raw, and applied as a poultice, will cleanse old sores and ulcers. Follow with an application of healing lotion or a wash of golden seal and myrrh solution. Daucus, from the Greek daukos, or daukon--a kind of carrot--a genus of about 60 species of annual, biennial or perennial herbs mainly of Mediterranean and African distribution, belonging to the Umbelliferae family. The biennial Wild carrot is a naturalized herb in America, found growing in old meadows and pastures. It cannot be transplanted into the garden to produce an edible product. It taints milk with a bitter flavor if cattle eat too much of it, although it is not poisonous. Eating a raw carrot a day can reduce the risk of getting certain forms of cancer. Cancer researchers have found that eating 12,500 IU of beta carotene, a plant form of vitamin A, daily (there are 13,500 IU in one raw carrot) can prevent cancers of the esophagus, stomach, intestines, and prostate. Numerous studies worldwide, including some sponsored by the National Cancer Institute, confirm that people who eat diets high in carrots and other foods rich in carotene are less likely to develop certain forms of cancer than those who don’t. The studies show that even people exposed to specific carcinogens such as tobacco and ultraviolet light could reduce their risk of cancer by eating more carotene. The RDA (recommended daily allowance) for carotene is 5,000 IU, but cancer researchers suggest that in order to dramatically decrease the cancer risk, 12,500 IU of carotene is sufficient. Also, carrots are excellent for the eyes and helps counteract night blindness and weak vision. Three large raw carrots a day may also lower blood cholesterol levels, thus reducing the risk of developing coronary artery disease, the leading cause of heart attack. The fresher the product the better; from the minute the carrot is picked, the carotene begins to lose its potency. Try to buy loose carrots from the grocer and avoid the stuff that is sold in plastic bags. Use them as quickly as possible. UsesCarrot soup makes an effective remedy for diarrhea and is easily digestible for those suffering from stomach and intestinal problems. Carrot is useful for preventing putrefaction in the intestine and for gastro-intestinal catarrh. The carrot’s content of potassium salts accounts for its diuretic action, and it contains an essential oil that is effective against roundworms (east 2-3 raw carrots a day for several days). Take carrot juice for stomach acidity and heartburn. Carrots are good for the eyes; specifically, their carotene content provides the material for the body to make vitamin A, which is important for proper vision and night vision. An infusion or decoction of the seeds of wild carrot can be used for flatulence, as a diuretic, and to promote the onset of menstruation. It treats fluid retention, chronic urinary tract problems, gout, jaundice, dysentery, cystitis, rheumatism, hiccoughs, chronic coughs, gall stones. Science confirms its bactericidal, diuretic, hypotensive, worm-expelling properties. Culpeper claims that carrot taken in wine, or boiled in wine, helps conception. Grated carrots make an excellent poultice for ulcers, abscesses, carbuncles, scrofulous and cancerous sores, and bad wounds. The seeds of carrots, ground to powder and taken as a tea, relieve colic and increase the flow of urine. The powder may also be placed in capsules and 1 or 2 taken daily with a glass of water. Carrot blossoms, used as a tea, are a most effective remedy for dropsy and will very often cure when all other means have failed. Carrot shavings or juice with a little lemon juice can be applied directly to the face like a facial mask. Best for oily skin. Formulas or DosagesInfusion or decoction: use 1 tbsp. wild carrot seeds with 1 cup water. Take 1 cup a day. Soup: boil 1 lb. peeled, grated carrot in 3/4 cup water until very thick. Strain through a sieve. Then add 1 qt. of meat broth. Nutrient ContentVitamin A, C, niacin, carotene, potassium  Back to Top WarningWild carrots may have tough roots but must not be mistaken for Poison Hemlock. Wild carrots may cause dermatitis and blisters. Wild carrot is contraindicated in pregnancy.
Resource LinksMedicinal Herb Info Blog: Carrots & Cholesterol NuraIngredients-usa.com: Carrot juice waste may be new functional fiber source Bibliography
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The Herb Book
, by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.
, by Penelope Ody, Dorling Kindersley, Inc, 232 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, First American Edition, copyright 1993Copyright © 1996-2010 Lynn DeVries, all rights reserved.