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One of the unsung heroes of the oily world, Carrot Seed Oil has some impressive benefits, particularly against dangerous bacteria and fungi. In fact, some studies suggest that it may even fight certain cancer cells.

Among its more popular uses, carrot seed oil can be included in skin care products as a skin-protecting agent. It’s also useful for natural hair moisturizing products. Rich in antioxidants, carrot seed oil deserves more attention than it has received in the past. I believe you’ll agree after reading all of the incredible benefits it can provide.

What Is Carrot Seed Oil?

In ancient medicine, carrot seed oil was known for its carminative properties, according to unconfirmed sources. While that may sound rather fancy, it actually means people used it to relieve flatulence!

Not much is actually known about the origin of carrot seed oil, but it is most often obtained from wild carrots in European countries.

There is a common misconception about carrot seed oil as compared to carrot oil. According to Aromatherapy Science: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals, they are often misquoted or erroneously interchanged. This is an important distinction, because carrot oil (functioning as a base or Carrier Oil) is rich in vitamin A and does not provide an Essential Oil.

Similarly, when discussing carrot seed oil, it’s important to know specifically what you’re discussing. Studies are lacking on the benefits of carrot seed essential oil, while several exist that examine the benefits of carrot seed oil, a cold-pressed oil derived from carrot seeds.

Conversely, carrot seed oil and carrot seed essential oil have no vitamin A, although they include incredible antioxidants to help protect against disease.

Carrot seed oil is extracted from the carrot plant, Daucus carota. Extracts vary, since there are so many species of carrot. However, it typically contains three bioflavonoids, all derivatives of luteolin, a cancer-fighting antioxidant found in many fruits.

Health Benefits

1. Helps Kill Fungi and Bacteria

The most thoroughly researched quality of carrot seed oil is its ability to kill certain bacteria and fungi. Indeed, some of the viruses it’s powerful against are concerning for a number of reasons. Many are common in developing nations, and the oil may provide a unique way to fight these illnesses, if developed properly.

Here are the bacteria and fungi that seem to be most affected by it:

• Dermatophytes — Keratin is required for these fungi to grow. Infections from dermatophytes typically affects the hair, skin and nails and result from direct contact with people, animals and soil infected with the fungus. Studies show how carrot seed oil fights these fungi.
• Alternaria alternata — This fungus lives on leaves and can cause rot and blight for crops, a particularly dangerous event for farmers with limited resources. Carrot seed oil helps fight it.
• Escherichia coli — An E. coli infection can cause diarrhea and, in some rare cases, anemia and kidney failure.
  Antimicrobial activity of the oil works against it.
• Acinetobacter — Strains of the gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter cause a number of serious infections. The oil was revealed in studies to help kill it.

Aedes albopictus — OK, this last one isn’t a virus; it’s a mosquito. But it’s significant, because carrot seed oil can kill larvae of this Asian tiger mosquito. Aedes albopictus mosquitoes often spread yellow fever, dengue fever, Zika and a variety of other dangerous viruses.

2. May Fight Cancer Cells

In the fight against cancer, researchers consistently look at substances by beginning in the lab and seeing what impact, if any, they have on different cancer cell lines.

Lab studies confirm carrot seed oil has anticancer properties against acute myeloid leukemia, colon cancer and breast cancer cell lines.

An animal study was conducted to investigate the effect of carrot seed oil on skin cancer (namely, squamous cell carcinoma) in rats and found it to be particularly potent.