Carrot Oil

Scientific Name(S): Daucus carota L. Subsp. carota. Fam: Umbelliferae or Apiaceae

Common Name(S): Oil of carrot, Queen Anne's lace, wild carrot

Carrot oil (also known as helio carrot oil) is offered by Well, Naturally as part of an extensive selection of oils for massage and aromatherpy carrier oils; cosmetic creams and lotions and soap-making. Carrot oil is used in products for premature aging, dryness and scarring

Botany: The carrot is an annual or biennial herb, having an erect multi-branched stem, growing up to 1.5 m (4 ft) in height. The wild carrot is commonly seen in fields and roadsides throughout most of temperate North America and is seen with an intricately patterned flat flower cluster (Queen Anne's lace). The main cluster is made up of some 500 flowers, each showing at the center a single, small red-to-purplish flower. The wild carrot has an inedible tough white root. It is native to Asia and Europe, having been brought to America from England. The common cultivated carrot [Daucus carota L. subspecies sativus (Hoffm.) Arcang.] possesses an edible, fleshy, orange taproot. The parts that are used pharmaceutically are the dried fruit which yields carrot seed oil upon steam distillation and the orange carrot root which yields root oil by solvent extraction.

Uses of Carrot Oil

Lab studies show that carrot seed oil, which had a wide range of applications in folk medicine, acts as a muscle relaxant and vasodilator. It is now most commonly used as fragrance, flavoring and. a source of food color, beta-carotene and vitamin A. Hypotensive and hepatoprotective properties have yet to be confirmed in humans.

Side Effects of Carrot Oil

Ingestion of large amounts may have neurological effects.

Toxicology: Because myristicin (a known psychoactive agent) occurs in carrot seed, it has been proposed that ingestion of large amounts of D. carota may cause neurological effects. Some individuals have shown sensitivity (irritation, vesication) to carrot leaf when they handle it excessively, especially after exposure to sunlight. Most data indicate that the vegetable and the seed oil are nontoxic.

Summary: The commonly cultivated edible carrot root is widely consumed as a vegetable because of its flavor and vitamin A content. The seed and root oils of the wild and cultivated carrot are used pharmaceutically as a flavoring and fragrance, and the roots as sources of β -carotene and vitamin A. More recent pharmacological studies indicate its potential usefulness as cardiovascular and hepatoprotective agents. These still need further verification and human clinical studies.