Carrots useful properties
Carrots ( Daucus carota - Umbelliferae) is a two-year-old plant of the umbellate family, with a thick, conically elongated, orange rhizome. The stalk is ribbed, leaves alternate, feathery, white flowers, collected in an umbrella, fruits - small seedlings. More about carrots, see here.
Cultural carrots, apparently, come from a one-year-old wild carrot, which was familiar to the ancient Germans, Romans and Greeks. It is from here, from ancient states, carrots and spread all over the world. But not everywhere it was immediately accepted and appreciated. The Americans did not like the new root crop and it soon stopped growing in the kitchen gardens. But the carrot was tenacious and settled in abandoned places. After a while they again renewed its cultivation, appreciating its food properties. For four thousand years of its existence the carrot has changed a lot and from an annual with thin and not very sweet roots it has become a two-year-old vegetable with excellent nutritional qualities.
Carrots are one of the most common root crops in the world. It is rich in nutrients and has a mass of medicinal properties. The birthplace of carrots is Afghanistan. It was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans. Wild carrots once grew throughout Europe. And now it still occurs mostly on calcareous soil near the sea;its roots are whitish in color, small, hard and elongated with a sharp and pungent aroma. The cultured view of carrots - all familiar orange carrot tubular form - until the XVII century.(while the Dutch did not do this) did not grow. The edible part of the carrot is crumbly, with a sweet pleasant aroma and taste. The porous leaves are gracefully dissected. In Europe, carrots of white, brown and red colors are found.
Carrots and parsnips belong to the umbrella family and for centuries have the same name as anise, chervil, both varieties of sweet dill, parsley and - what is especially disturbing - poisonous hemlock mushrooms. Flowers of wild carrots, brought to the New World by English colonists, grow in abundance here on the roadside. Carrots are a resistant two-year plant;it is easy to grow in the garden.
In France in the XVI century.carrots were prescribed as carminative, promoting digestion and liver function. Grated carrots were used to treat ulcers. Since then, it is believed that it purifies the blood, is a universal remedy for liver and skin diseases, all lung diseases, allergies, inflammation of the intestines, and also strengthens the nervous system. They say that carrots have a favorable effect on the eyesight: during the Second World War, it was given to the pilots so that they could see better at night.
Carrots are the favorite vegetable of peoples of all countries and continents, and it is not accidental. In carrots, a lot of carotene, from which the body produces vitamin A. It is enough to eat 20 grams of raw carrots to fill the daily requirement of an adult in vitamin A. In the roots of carrots, there are also vitamins B1, B2, C, PP, K, folic acid( vitamin B9).Carrots are rich in sugar, often its content reaches 15% depending on the variety. In addition, the roots of carrots are: salts of calcium, phosphorus, iodine, iron, as well as essential oil. In carrots, two times more alkaline substances are accumulated than acid-forming substances, and alkalis are necessary for the body to neutralize the destructive effect of acids. The presence of a significant amount of cellulose in carrots makes it useful for normal activity of the digestive organs, as well as endocrine glands.
Useful properties
For medicinal purposes. Carrots, both wild and cultured, are one of the most useful foods, as they contain a lot of vitamins and minerals: vitamin A and carotene, a complex of vitamins B and vitamins C, D, E and K, as well as copper,iron, magnesia, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur. In addition, it includes easily digestible sugar, fructose and dextrose.
Carrots, in addition, are rich in carotene( from which vitamin A is formed).As evidenced by the work of Dr. Leclerc and Dr. Artholt de Vevey, thanks to this increases the reliability of the body's immune system. It should be taken for food every day - not less than 150-200 g. Carrots during the period of breastfeeding stimulate the inflow of milk. It helps with liver diseases, diarrhea, constipation( there are many fibers in it), anemia and rheumatism.
If you give your baby water with carrots and sweet dill, then they will have colic. Two carrots boil 10-15 minutes in 300 ml of water with several leaves of dill, strain, cool and add a little honey. Suggest a piece of carrot to the child whose teeth are chopped. Natural oils soothe inflamed gums( never treat the gums of a young child with essential oil).
Carrots and carrot juice in medicine is used for beriberi, especially they are widely used in children's dietary nutrition. Carrot juice has long been used in folk medicine( 100-200 g adults and 1 tablespoon children on an empty stomach) as a mild laxative, anti-sabotage agent, and also for fighting worms.
Carrot juice is prescribed and with myocardial infarction, mixed with honey juice for cold and hoarseness, fresh juice rinse the mouth with stomatitis. Recommended carrot juice against cystitis, as well as against kidney and urolithiasis.
Juice from fresh carrots , drunk right after cooking, is very rich in organic elements, there are a lot of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, which are just necessary for normal life. A half liter of carrot juice daily is more valuable than 20 kg of calcium tablets. It is used as a means of combating cancers, phagocyte cells destroy cancer cells many times more efficiently if the body receives a sufficient amount of carrot juice on a daily basis.
Carrot juice is an excellent tanning agent. You should moisten the face, neck, shoulders with carrot juice, then rub a little cosmetic milk, a moisturizer or a little oil into the skin.
Carrots contain many carbohydrates, so do not rush to throw them away, but cook delicious and nutritious dishes: Take carrots, walnuts, raisins, dried apricots, a little honey, sometimes add a little cinnamon. Season with sour cream, mix. You can prepare a salad of chopped fresh cabbage and carrot dips( 1: 2).Add an apple, cranberry, any greens, squeeze a lemon or grapefruit, sprinkle with coriander or cardamom.
Squeezed carrots are added to vegetarian soups, you can also add finely chopped carrot tops there. From the pressing of carrots you can prepare various casseroles, so experiment with your health.
Essential Oil
Description. For the production of essential oil, small, fleecy seeds mnut. Oil from carrots is used not only for treatment, but also in perfumery. It is a yellowish-orange hue, very liquid;the smell of it is like that of spiced peppered carrots. The main producers of oil used for medical purposes are European countries.
Basic components: acetic acids, aliphatic aldehyde, carotal, β -carotene, cineole, formic acid, limonene, pinene and terpineol.
Carrot seeds are rich in curative essential oils, on the basis of them a therapeutic preparation "daukarin" is obtained, which is used to treat heart failure, to prevent acute attacks of angina.
Essential oil is used in perfumery.
In cosmetics. Consuming carrots for food has a beneficial effect on the skin condition. The property of carrots to clean the blood will help get rid of the rash and stains. With aging of the skin, wrinkles and loss of natural color, prepare a mixture: 10 ml( 2 teaspoons) of almond oil and 4 drops of carrot essential oil. Twice a year for a month, apply it twice a day to the skin - it will become firm, firm and will acquire a natural color. The smell of the mixture is not everyone likes, but you can add a drop of rose oil to it.
Carrots prepare skin for sunburn, especially overly sensitive, helps prevent dryness, avoid burns and in the early stages prevents the development of skin cancer. Two months before the holiday on the sunny coast, you should start drinking carrot juice daily.(From the pulp of the fruits used, prepare a face mask and, once the skin needs to be moistened, apply it once a week.) Massage daily with the above-mentioned mixture of carrot essential oil( almond oil can be replaced with hazelnut oil).
Here is another way to apply carrot juice. If you rub your face, it will seem slightly sunburnt, and in the evening it will disguise small skin defects.
Since carrots have medicinal, anti-inflammatory properties, it is also used by the cosmetic industry for making creams, cosmetic milk, etc. At home, a mask is prepared from finely grated carrots, which should be kept on the washed face for 20 minutes. Carrots can also be added to the yeast mask with milk. To do this, use only fresh carrots. Lotion for the recovery of facial skin can be prepared by mixing 1 part of carrot juice and 1 part of 20% pure alcohol. Sensitive skin is washed only with carrot juice, which slightly stains it.
In medical cosmetics for a long time use nutritious carrot masks with dry skin of face and hands.
Cosmetic nourishing face mask. Wash carrots wipe on a fine grater, add a raw yolk, a few drops of peanut butter( possible without it) and mix. The resulting mixture is applied thickly on a thoroughly washed face and allowed to stand on the skin for 25-30 minutes, then remove with a cotton swab dipped in warm water, and the face is lubricated with a refreshing cream or powdered. The use of this mask 1-2 times a week makes the skin tender, supple and without wrinkles.
For hands: a teaspoon of grated carrot in a small grater, mix with 2 teaspoons of thick cream and 1 egg yolk. Apply to the hands, after 20 minutes, remove the swab dipped in vegetable oil, and rinse your hands with cold water. Regular use of this remedy will save you from ugly pigment spots, the so-called "buckwheat".
Application in the
food In the cooking .Everyone knows what place carrots take in cooking. Without it, as well as without onions, do not extinguish meat, do not prepare dishes in pots, as it gives them flavor, color and density. Soup with carrots - just delicious. Carrots are also cooked in mineral water( the old is cut into pieces or slices, and the young ones are laid entirely) and are used-on the advice of a doctor - when the digestive system is overeating or upset. However, it is more useful in its raw form, when it is eaten whole, a salad tart or put, cut into slices, in gravy. Carrot juice is sold in stores, you can do it yourself with the help of a juicer.
Important point: when cleaning carrots, it should be scraped, never cleaned, since the flavoring and beneficial substances are in the upper layer of its peel.
Carrot cake( 4-8 servings)
Carrots are rich in vitamin A. It is used to make a delicious pie, very useful for the skin and respiratory tract. Before baking, decorate the cake with circles of raw carrots.
For a pie, you need 225 grams of buttery dough. Filling: 1 kg of carrots, peeled or sliced, 1 onion, peeled and sliced, 75 g of sunflower oil, 2 sprigs of thyme, 150 ml of buttermilk, 7 raw egg of medium size, 30 ml( 2 tablespoons) of chopped fresh parsley, salt, freshground pepper and fresh grated nutmeg, 30 ml( 2 tablespoons) of grated gruyere or emmental cheese.
Roll out the dough on a baking sheet 19-20 cm long and wide. Refrigerate.
Boil the carrots until it softens. Razumnite. Spasseruyte onion in sunflower oil. Mix the carrots and onions, then add the thyme, buttermilk, egg and parsley. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Pour the mixture on a baking sheet and put for 40 minutes in the oven, preheated to 180 ° C.After 10 minutes sprinkle with cheese.
From the roots of carrots prepare various dishes, marinades, jam and stuffing for canned vegetables. Salads are made from it. Carrots in Korean .Carrots cleaned, washed and cut into strips along. Soak in a solution of vinegar or citric acid for 3-4 hours. Carrots squeezed, mixed with crushed red pepper, crushed cumin, hops-suneli. Add crushed garlic. Preheat the vegetable( or olive) oil and pour the carrots. Put the carrots in a bowl, cover and put oppression on top. Korean carrots can be stored in the refrigerator in a bag for up to a week.
Rich in squirrels and tops of carrots, it is added to salads, stewed with other vegetables.
Young carrots can be prepared in the form of asparagus. Wash the young carrot with a brush under running water( without peeling the peel), cutting off the roots if necessary. Carrots should be placed in an enamel pan( horizontally).Pour a glass of boiling water and add salt and sugar to taste, as well as a spoonful of butter. Close the lid and cook over a low heat for about 20 minutes. If water boils, add it( one tablespoon).In a prepared carrot with a spoon of sauce on the bottom, pour 4 tablespoons of cream sprinkled finely chopped parsley or dill. Shake the pan several times so that the cream mixes with the sauce and carrots. Submit to the table.
To taste, carrots look like asparagus, but it's cheaper. From a young carrot you can cook a universal sauce for boiled meat and boiled fish. To do this, you should grate on a plastic grater a bunch of young carrots, add a spoonful of horseradish, mixing with a glass of whipped salted sour cream.
In other industries
The reddish juice of wild carrots was once used as a food coloring. Sometimes in the French liquors added for flavor oil from carrot seeds. In difficult times, coffee in France was prepared not from coffee beans, but from roasted roots of carrots. Carrots in France are also used as a dye of natural cosmetics.