We get an email every now and then asking about what carrot seed oil is, so here is a brief explanation.
Carrot seed oil isn't taken or extracted from garden type carrots, it's only extracted from wild carrots called Daucus Carota, which is the garden carrots old brother so to speak. The Daucus Carota resides in the Apiaceae scientific category, and has also been referred to as Queen Anne's lace.
Carrot seed oil originally comes from continental Europe, where wild carrots still grow. The wild carrot plant is biennial like the garden species, and the plant produces beautiful purple and white lacy flowers with fuzzy leaves. Ancient texts from Greece and Italy show that this plant was used as a home remedy against many different old world ailments. The Greeks called the wild carrot Carotos, from this Latin origin is where we get the commonly spoken English form of carrot.
Carrot seed oil is an essential oil for treating dry skin. It has many therapeutic values that are antiseptic, emmenagogue, cytophylactic, depurative, hepatic, stimulant, tonic, carminative, diuretic, and vermifuge. Don't be embarrassed if you have to look up some of those words up in a dictionary, because I did. It is slowly becoming very popular in certain cosmetic circles. It has a very nice sweet earthy smell to it, just lovely. If you have any problems with weeping sores, boils, psoriasis, ulcers, it will treat these ailments wonderfully. Carrot seed oil is a detoxifier that is known to help keep the liver pure and jaundice free as well. It will also keep the digestive track clear of any toxins. Carrot seed oil is also used as an anti wrinkle solution, and can provide a good level of protection against wrinkles and aging or liver spots. Carrot seed oil does contain many proven therapeutic properties, such as vitamin A, and others. Carrot seed oil is proven safe and effective, but it is not recommended for use during pregnancy.
The carrot seed oil extraction process isn't terribly complex. Steam distillation is the preferred method producing the finest quality carrot seed oil. The seeds are use as the primary source of the oil, however the plant and leaves are known to produce a bit of oil as well.
The oil is comprised of many chemical properties, the list includes a-pinene, b-pinene, camphene, myrcene, sabinene, limonene, y-terpinene, geranyl acetate, b-bisabolene, carotol, and a few others.
