Carrot seed oil comes from a humble plant but it makes powerful oil. The cousin of our domestic carrot, carrot seed oil is extracted from the wild version, known commonly as Queen Anne’s Lace or Bishop’s Lace.
Carrot seed oil has a variety of benefits. It’s best known for its detoxifying, de-worming and menstrual regulating properties, but it really does so much more than that. A powerful antioxidant, antiviral disinfectant, and bloat reliever, carrot seed oil also stimulates your metabolic function and helps your organs stay toned.
This oil is extracted in one of two ways. It is either steam-distilled— the common extraction process for any essential oil, or it is cold-pressed, meaning the seeds are crushed until the oil seeps out without any heat or steam added. Either method provides a product that has retained all of its beneficial properties for use in your body.
Uses of Carrot Seed Oil
Carrot seed oil contains a wide variety of natural chemical compounds, such as a-pinene, camphene, b-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, y-terpinene, limonene, b-bisabolene, geranyl acetate, and carotol. This wide composition is what makes the oil so versatile. It can be used in so many applications. We have listed the uses below.
Sunscreen Enhancer
Applied topically, carrot seed oil combats the effects of UV light on your skin and reduces the occurrence of free radicals that lead to cell damage. On a surface level, this means that it’s effective at slowing the rate of wrinkles and age spots. Internally, carrot seed oil protects cells that would otherwise have been damaged by fighting off those invaders. This slows the progression of muscular weakness and joint pain.
This oil has been proven to enhance the effectiveness of certain zinc-based sunscreen blends. It’s important that you never use it undiluted on skin before sun exposure though, as many essential oils in their concentrated forms cause photosensitivity. This increases the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight and it can result in serious burns.
Disinfectant
Many essential oils excel in the antiseptic, antibacterial category. It’s one of the shining strengths of the field and carrot seed oil is no exception. It has been shown to be effective in the protection and treatment of topical wounds. It was even used traditionally to fight the spread of gangrene infection.
Its yellow-brown tint makes it unfavorable as a household cleaner because it can stain if applied to fabric. So keep it for body disinfecting only and don’t change the color of your furniture!
Carminative
Carrot seed oil has been proven to reduce gas and is considered a safe remedy for bloating. It’s popular as a carminative because it’s mild enough to be used even on young children in small amounts so that it can quickly relieve pain from gas, flatulence, and colic.
Detoxifier
Carrot seed oil has a variety of properties that are especially beneficial to the liver and organs. It’s effective at helping to rid the body of toxins, increase urine production, and tone the organs for greater firmness and efficiency. All of these properties reduce strain on the liver and help it to refresh itself. These properties can also help to reduce stress in other organs as well, providing relief to those with kidney stones and jaundice.
Emmenagogue
One of the most historic uses of carrot seed oil is as a period regulator and menstrual pain reducer. It’s effective at evening out irregular periods and reducing their side effects, such as bloating and cramps.
Note: pregnant women should never under any circumstances use carrot seed oil. The oil, as a menstrual regulating emmenagogue, will cause bleeding and can even lead to miscarriage.
Vermifuge
Carrot seed oil has been used traditionally to kill intestinal worm infections. It can be taken orally and is considered safe to use on children, although you should always do so carefully and under the supervision of a licensed health professional. It can also be used on animals that may have ingested something to cause a worm problem.
What to Look for in a Brand
With so many beneficial properties, it won’t be long before you encounter a problem that carrot seed oil can help with. It’s worth having on hand for when one of these issues strike.
When shopping for a brand, the most important consideration is not to confuse carrot seed oil with carrot oil— they are not the same. Carrot oil is an infused oil made from macerated carrots distilled in either alcohol or a base oil. It does not have the same health properties as carrot seed oil, and can only be used as a natural tanner or Vitamin A and E supplement.
Carrot seed oil can be recognized by its golden, amber, or light brown color. It may have an orange tint but it should not be orange. It also has a very distinctive smell that many people find unpleasant, but fades to the background when diluted and mixed with other oils.
Top Brands
Carrot seed oil is a pricey essential oil. Any reputable brand is going to sell a high quality carrot seed oil as one of their most expensive products. Rocky Mountain Essential Oils sells a 15 mL bottle for over $30. By contrast, Edens Garden carrot seed oil is cheaper but still very effective. Either of these options would be a good purchase, but beware of products that offer much cheaper prices because they are cutting corners to do it. And never ingest a cheap product because it is guaranteed to not be pure and their mystery cocktail is not something that you want inside your body. In that case, something that is supposed to be healing your body could be potentially harming it.
Once you’ve picked a good oil, enjoy it! Get rid of the gas, normalize the period, and treat your liver to a spa day. You’ll find the results to be well worth the cost.
