Carrot

Daucus carota

Carrot - annual (cultivated varieties) or biennial (wild). Carrot has erect stem growing to 3 ft (1 m), feathery leaves, small white flowers, and flat green seeds. Cultivated subspecies have fleshy orange taproots..

The origins of the familiar garden carrot are a mystery it has been cultivated as a nutritious and cleansing food at least as long ago as ancient Greece and Rome. In the 1st century AD, the physician Dioscorides recommended the seeds to stimulate menstruation, to relieve urinary retention, and to "wake up the genital virtue." The cultivated variety did not reach the shores of Britain until the 16th century. Women of the time used its beautiful, finely divided leaves to adorn their hair.

By midsummer, fields and roadsides across most of temperate North America are crowded with the intricately patterned flat flower clusters of Queen Anne's lace (carrot). Each main cluster is composed of perhaps 500 flowers and has at its center a single, tiny deep red or purple flower. According to one folk belief, these red flowers, when eaten, prevent epileptic seizures. The deep red flower also figures in a story of how the plant received its name. According to this legend the red flower symbolized a drop of the blood of Queen Anne (1665-1714), who pricked her finger making lace.

Over the years extracts from boiled wild carrots were used medicinally as a diuretic and to dissolve kidney stones. The seeds were eaten to eliminate intestinal worms and gas.

The first colonists arriving in America brought carrot seeds with them, since carrots were a popular vegetable in England. Carrot soon escaped from gardens in America (as it had done in England) and reverted to the wild state that we know as Queen Anne's lace.

Other names

• Bee's Nest
• Bird's Nest
• Devil's Plague
• Queen Anne's Lace
• Wild Carrot

Parts used

Root, leaf, seed.

Uses

The carrot is a popular food. The British have made wine with carrots. The Germans used the carrot as a coffee substitute, and the French and the Germans made liquor from it. Carrot has also been employed as a dye and a flavoring agent for butter. During a Latin grammar lesson in The Merry Wives of Windsor Shakespeare makes a pun of caret, Latin for "is wanting" and "carrot".  He quips, "And that's a good root!" In England in the 17th century, fashionable ladies wore feathery carrot leaves in their headdresses.

The carrot is an ancient remedy mentioned in the writings of Pliny. Studies completed recently show that increasing daily consumption of carrots as a good source of beta-carotene can significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes in women. According to another study, stroke patients are more likely to survive and recover if they have significant levels of betacarotene in their bloodstream. Regular consumption of carrots may also reduce the risk of lung and larynx cancer, even in former smokers. The carrot has been used to treat intestinal parasites, diarrhea, digestive problems, and high cholesterol. Perhaps its most famous use, to help eyesight, has been confirmed by science: carrots contain vitamin A, a source of retinal, a compound that in combination with proteins forms the visual pigments of the retinal rods and cones.

Carrot is also a wonderfully cleansing medicine. Carrot supports the liver, and stimulates urine flow and the removal of waste by the kidneys. The juice of organically grown carrots is a delicious drink and a valuable detoxifier. Carrots are rich in carotene, which is converted to vitamin A by the liver. This nutrient acts to improve night blindness as well as vision in general. The raw root, grated or mashed, is a safe treatment for threadworms, especially in children. Wild carrot leaves are a good diuretic. They have been used to counter cystitis and kidney stone formation, and to diminish stones that have already formed. The seeds are also diuretic and carminative. They stimulate menstruation and have been used in folk medicine as a treatment for hangovers. Both leaves and seeds relieve flatulence and gassy colic, and are a useful remedy for settling the digestion and upsets of the stomach.
Carrot is also used to treat lazy eye.

Habitat & cultivation

Wild carrot is native to Europe. Cultivated subspecies are grown around the world. The root is harvested in late summer, and the seeds are gathered in late summer or early autumn.

Constituents

Wild carrot seeds contain flavonoids, and a volatile oil including asarone, carotol, pinene, and limonene. Cultivated carrot root contains sugars, pectin, carotene, vitamins, minerals, and asparagine. Carrot leaves contain significant amounts of porphyrins, which stimulate the pituitary gland and lead to the release of increased levels of sex hormones.

How much to take

Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto 1 teaspoonful of the dried herb and let infuse for 10-15 minutes. This should be drunk three times a day. To prepare an infusion of the seeds, use 1/3 - 1 teaspoonful to a cup of water.
Tincture: take 1- 2ml of the tincture three times a day.

Collection & harvesting

The aerial parts of the herb should be collected between June and August when in flower or when seeding in August and September.

Combinations

For urinary infections carrot may be used with yarrow and bearberry. For kidney stones use carrot with hydrangea, gravel root or pellitory of the wall.

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