Carrot (Daucus carota)
| Latin Name | Daucus Carota |
| Sanskrit Name | Gaajara, Garjara, Granjana |
| English Name | Carrot, Cultivated Carrot |
| Common Name | Gaajar |
| Ayurvedic Properties and Action: | ||||||||||
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Phytochemistry:
Carrot contains flavones including apigenin, chypsin, luteolin; flavonols including kaempferol, quercetin and various glycosides. The furanocoumarins, 8-methoxypsoralen and 5-methoxypsoralen are found in the plant. The seed oil contains terpinen-4-ol, a renal irritant. It is a rich source of carotene.
Carrot is rich source of the fat-soluble hydrocarbon, C40H56, the ß form of which is the precursor of vitamin A. It also contains proteins, fibre, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene vitamin B1, vitamin C, Thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinic acid, Vitamin D and vitamin E.
It contains 12.11% palmitic, 24.03 % oleic, 55.82 % linoleic, 3.43% stearic acid, Arachidic (20:0) 0.81, and Mineral contents (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P and Zn and found to be rich in protein, fiber and ash
It is reach source of Vitamin B1 (Thiamine), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B5 (Niacin) and Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid).
It contains dietary fiber, Vitamin: vitamin A, A-carotenoids, A-retinol, A-beta carotene, thiamin-B1, riboflavin – B2, niacin – B3, vitamin B6, biotin, vitamin C, vitamin E, folate, vitamin K, pantothenic acid, Minerals: calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, iodine, zinc, Essential fatty acids: Oleic, linoleic, linolenic, omega 3 fatty acids, omega 6 fatty acids and Amino Acids: alanine, arginine, aspartate, cystine, glutamate, Glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine, valine.
Pharmacological Actions:
It is diuretic, deobstruent, stimulant, emmenagogue, and antispasmodic.
Medicinal Use:
It is used to cleanse the blood, for hot flushes of the menopause and in amenorrhea.
It is used as a remedy for thread worms, it increases the quantity of urine and helps the elimination of uric acid. The addition of large amounts of carrot to the diet has a favorable effect on the nitrogen balance.
It is an aromatic herb that acts as a diuretic and soothes the digestive tract. An infusion is used in the treatment of oedema, flatulent indigestion and menstrual problems, in the treatment of various complaints including digestive disorders, kidney & bladder diseases and in the treatment of dropsy.
A wonderfully cleansing medicine, it supports the liver, stimulates the flow of urine and the removal of waste by the kidneys. An infusion of the leaves has been used to counter cystitis and kidney stone formation, and to diminish stones that have already formed.
It is used as a remedy for threadworms. A tea made from the roots is diuretic and has been used in the treatment of urinary stones.
Clinical / experimental study:
An interferon inducer has been isolated from carrot. It stimulates cells to produce the protein that increases human resistance to virus infections. It is rich Source of Beta – Carotene (Provit-A) which works as anti-oxidant also contains.
Relaxant/vasodilator/hypotensive
Carrot seed oil exhibits both smooth-muscle relaxant and vasodilatory action in isolated animal organ studies. It depresses cardiac activity in both frog and dog hearts. An ethanol extract (10 to 100 mg/kg dose) produced a dose-dependent decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in anesthetized normotensive rats. Further experiments using beating guinea pig paired atria showed that the cardiovascular effects are independent of adrenergic or cholinergic receptors, and the extract induced a concentration-dependent (0.3 to 5 mg/mL) decrease in force and rate of atrial contractions. The same preparation applied to rabbit thoracic aorta produced inhibition of potassium-induced contractions. These results suggest that D. carota extract may exhibit calcium channel blocking-like direct relaxant action on cardiac and smooth muscle, and may explain its hypotensive action.
Hepatoprotectant
An extract of D. carota has demonstrated hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride-induced intoxication in mouse liver.
Carrots contain the highest concentration of beta-carotene amongst most common vegetables and fruits. More recently, beta-carotene’s role in animal and human nutrition as an antioxidant has been heightened after about two dozen studies showed less incidences of various forms of cancer and heart diseases amongst people consuming high amounts of beta-carotene rich fruits and vegetables.
Antioxidants are chemicals that neutralize free radicals which can damage cells, playing a role in several degenerative ailments such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. One study even found that plant-sourced carotenoids accumulate in the skin and gave test subjects some measurable protection from UV radiation.
Toxicology
Most data indicate that the vegetable and the seed oil are nontoxic
Herbs & Ayurveda 