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Daucus carota - L.

Wild Carrot

Author	L.	Botanical references	17, 200
Family	Umbelliferae	Genus	Daucus
Synonyms
Known Hazards	Carrots sometimes cause allergic reactions in some people[46]. Skin contact with the sap is said to cause photo-sensitivity and/or dermatitis in some people[218]. Daucus has been reported to contain acetone, asarone, choline, ethanol, formic acid, HCN, isobutyric acid, limonene, malic acid, maltose, oxalic acid, palmitic acid, pyrrolidine, and quinic acid. Reviewing research on myristicin, which occurs in nutmeg, mace, black pepper, carrot seed, celery seed, and parsley, Buchanan (J. Food Safety 1: 275, 1979) noted that the psychoactive and hallucinogenic properties of mace, nutmeg, and purified myristicin have been studied. It has been hypothesized that myristicin and elemicin can be readily modified in the body to amphetamines. Handling carrot foliage, especially wet foliage, can cause irritation and vesication. Sensitized photosensitive persons may get an exact reproduction of the leaf on the skin by placing the leaf on the skin for awhile, followed by exposure to sunshine[269].
Range	Europe, including Britain, from Scandanavia south and east to N. Africa, China and eastern India.
Habitat	Cultivated and waste land, amongst grass, especially by the sea and on chalk[4, 17].
Edibility Rating	2 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Biennial growing to 0.6m by 0.3m.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil. The plant can tolerate maritime exposure.

Habitats

Meadow; Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Flowers; Root.

Edible Uses: Coffee; Condiment.

Root - cooked[55]. Thin and stringy[K]. The flower clusters can be french-fried to produce a carrot-flavoured gourmet's delight[183]. The aromatic seed is used as a flavouring in stews etc[55, 183]. The dried roasted roots are ground into a powder and are used for making coffee[183].

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Anthelmintic; Carminative; Contraceptive; Deobstruent; Diuretic; Emmenagogue; Galactogogue; Ophthalmic; Stimulant.

The wild carrot is an aromatic herb that acts as a diuretic, soothes the digestive tract and stimulates the uterus[238]. A wonderfully cleansing medicine, it supports the liver, stimulates the flow of urine and the removal of waste by the kidneys[254]. The whole plant is anthelmintic, carminative, deobstruent, diuretic, galactogogue, ophthalmic, stimulant[4, 7, 9, 13, 21, 165]. An infusion is used in the treatment of various complaints including digestive disorders, kidney and bladder diseases and in the treatment of dropsy[4, 238]. An infusion of the leaves has been used to counter cystitis and kidney stone formation, and to diminish stones that have already formed[254]. Carrot leaves contain significant amounts of porphyrins, which stimulate the pituitary gland and lead to the release of increased levels of sex hormones[254]. The plant is harvested in July and dried for later use. A warm water infusion of the flowers has been used in the treatment of diabetes[213]. The grated raw root, especially of the cultivated forms, is used as a remedy for threadworms[213, 222, 254]. The root is also used to encourage delayed menstruation[213]. The root of the wild plant can induce uterine contractions and so should not be used by pregnant women[213]. A tea made from the roots is diuretic and has been used in the treatment of urinary stones[222]. The seeds are diuretic[213, 218], carminative, emmenagogue and anthelmintic[4, 218]. An infusion is used in the treatment of oedema, flatulent indigestion and menstrual problems[238]. The seed is a traditional 'morning after' contraceptive and there is some evidence to uphold this belief. It requires further investigation[222]. Carrot seeds can be abortifacient and so should not be used by pregnant women[254].

Other Uses

Cosmetic; Essential.

An essential oil obtained from the seed has an orris-like scent[238]. It is used in perfumery and as a food flavouring[46, 238]. The oil has also been used cosmetically in anti-wrinkle creams[238].

Scented Plants

Plant: Crushed

The whole plant, when bruised, gives off an aniseed-like scent.

Cultivation details

Prefers a sunny position and a well-drained neutral to alkaline soil[24, 238]. A good plant for the summer meadow[24], it is a food plant for caterpillars of the Swallow-tail Butterfly[200]. This species is the parent of the cultivated carrot[200]. It can act as an alternative host for pests and diseases of the cultivated carrots. The plant has become a pest weed in N. America, where it is spreading rapidly and crowding out native vegetation[274]. The whole plant, when bruised, gives off an aniseed-like scent[245].

Propagation

Seed - sow August/September or April in situ. The seed germinates better if it is given a period of cold stratification.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[13] Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975 ISBN 0-600-33545-3
Very interesting reading, giving some details of plant uses and quite a lot of folk-lore.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[24] Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden. 0
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.

[165] Mills. S. Y. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. 0
An excellent small herbal.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[269] Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983
Published only on the Internet, excellent information on a wide range of plants.

[274] Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999 ISBN 1-889878-01-4
An excellent flora, which is also available on-line.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Daucus carota

Thu May 4 2006

Botanical Search fro plants and get icformation

Daucus carota

Christina Fri Mar 9 2007

I use the wild carrot seed to prevent conception; however I also make sure that I practice cycle monitoring and "coitus interruptus" (pulling out) and have not had to try it for "emergency" use. It has worked for 2 years so far, since I began using it. I gathered the seeds in late august from a pasture in upstate NY. To prepare, I grind 2 or 3 pinches of seed with a mortar and pestle and pour hot water over for a tea. I then swallow the seeds on the bottom with the addition of more water. I take it for 1-3 days following sex. Internet sources advise dosing over a longer time period than this, though. I am not an herbalist or scientist, but I know from my own experience that it has been working for me.

Sister Zeus Fertility awareness, herbal abortion and herbal contraception

Daucus carota

Nicole Wed Apr 16 2008

there are many ways to use Daucus Carota. I'm doing a report on it right now. Most of the uses i have read about are for different parts of the body. Some of the uses are rather disgusting, though.

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