Carrot Seed Oil
Proven Health Benefits of Carrot Seed Oil
- Carrot seed oil protects against liver disorders
- Carrot seed oil removes excess cholesterol and controls dyslipidemia
- The oil helps check the onset of cognitive dysfunction disorders
- Carrot seed has antibacterial and antifungal properties
- Carrot seed oil improves fertility in men
What is Carrot Seed Oil?
Carrots are one of the world’s favorite roots, hailed for its peculiar sight and skin care abilities. Daucus carota L. is a biennial shrub, cultivated all over the world, mostly for its delicious vegetable of a root. The plant is not even fussy, and will do well in most climates and soils. The root comes in a variety of colors, ranging from cream, to yellow to orange, dark red and purple. For many people, their carrots never go beyond root maturity. However, for those who can wait, the next season brings even better, carrot seeds from which its amazing essential oils are obtained. Carrot seed oil has carotol, daucene and daucol as its major phytochemicals, along with others that gives it its special abilities. Although, both are generally known to serve our good health, carrot seed oil is not to be confused with carrot oil.
What is the Usefulness of Carrot Seed Oil?
Studies have found carrot seed oil to be inhibitory to the bacteria, Campylobacter jejen, Bacillus cereus and Citrobacter freundii, as well as the phytotoxic fungus, Alternaria alternate.1 It was observed that carotol and β-cryophyllene were that major antibacterial and antifungal factors. Carrot seeds oils expresses its anti-inflammatory properties by inhibiting cyclooxygenase, through compounds like oleic acid, geraniol and trans-asarone. It is also reported that essential oils of carrot seed are a cognitive domain booster. In the animal studies involved, a reduction in the activity of acetylcholinesterase and cholesterol was observed in one, while another reported a reversal of age-induced amnesia.1 It was seen that the oil is potent against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Carrot seed oil is also a strong nematicide, being employed to destroy these plant parasites.2
Health Benefits:
- Stress and pain relief
- Memory improvement
- Dementia
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Anti-bacteria
- Dyslipidemia
- Anti-fungal
- Anti-inflammatory
Nutrition
Carrot seeds will yield about 7 – 10% oil by weight, and only about 0.8% essential oils. Carrot seed oil has petroselinic acid as its major fatty acid, about 59% the total oil weight. The others include palmitic, palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids. Carrot seed oil also contains most components of the essential oil, including carotol, daucene, daucol and β-bisabolene.3 Edible carrot seed oil, should not be confused with the essential oil.
Toxicity:
Carrot oil is practically safe for most, among the population, containing a good balance of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Although they contain phytochemicals of the essential oil, they are in good dilution amounts, such that they do not cause harm when carrot oil is consumed in food quantities. The essential oil, however, must not be consumed in its pure state, but rather with a carrier oil and in the right dilution amounts. Excess topical use of the essential oil may cause rash, redness and a burning sensation. Carrot oil negatively affects reproductive health of some women when used excessively.