Daucus carota (Plant Family: Apiaceae/Umbelliferae)
Type of plant: A wild-growing herbal plant with large, feathery leaves and tiny white flowers
Part used: Seeds
Method of extraction: Steam distillation
Data: The flowers grow in dense umbels that gather into nest-like clumps to protect the seeds, which are dried and crushed before distillation. There’s a long history of medicinal use of carrot seeds in Europe and Asia. Not to be confused with the culinary carrot seed that produces the orange carrot root vegetable.
Principal places of production: France, Hungary
When buying look for: A light-yellow to dark-yellow liquid with a warm, fruity, earthy odor
Therapeutic properties: Calmative, cytophylactic, depurative, diuretic, hepatic, regenerative, vasodilatory
Therapeutic uses: Detoxifying, arthritis, rheumatism, indigestion, water retention, genitourinary infection, urinary tract infection, eczema, ulcers, psoriasis, acne, pimples
Blends well with: Basil linalol, bergamot, black pepper, cananga, cedarwood, chamomile german, chamomile roman, cinnamon leaf, cistus, clove bud, cypress, fennel (sweet), frankincense, geranium, grapefruit, greenland moss, immortelle, juniper berry, lavender, lemon, mandarin, petitgrain, rose otto, rosewood, sandalwood, yarrow
Precautionary advice: Best avoided during pregnancy and while breast-feeding.
