It is rightly called -A Poor man’s Apple’ because its nutritive value is-not inferior to apple. It is a rejuvenator of body, producer of fresh blood, an excellent cleansing agent, provides glow and redness to skin, an excellent tonic for the eyes and liver. Carrot maintains proper equilibrium between alkaline and acidic balance in the body. It is preferably used as a root but those who suffer from wounds or dysentry, should use its soup or juice.
Nutritional Values: 100 gms of root of carrots contain water-86 gms, Carbohydrates-10.6 gms, Fibre-1.3 gms, Protein 0.9 gms, Fats-0.2 gms, Calories—87.0 gms, Potassium 108 mg, Calcium 80 mg, Oxalic Acid 5 mg, Magnesium 14 mg, Phosphorus-30 mg, Iron 1.5 mg, Sodium 3.5 mg Sulphur, 27 mg, Chlorine—13 mg, Vitamin ‘A—3.150 I.U. Vitamin ‘C 3 mg, Nicotinic Acid-0.6 mg.
Nutrition Value in Leaves (in 100 gms): Water 833 gms, Protein, 5.1 mg; Fats-0.5 mg; Minerals 2.8 mg; Iron 8.8 mg; Calcium; 0.34 mg; Carbohydrates 8.3 gms, Phosphorus; 0.11 mg.
Carrot’s root contains carotene, sugar, malic acid, liguin, starch albumen, salt, enough quantity of iron. Like apple it is said to be a heart tonic. It is used in raw form, in vegetable from and is also blended with other vegetables, is an essential ingredient of salad, used in juice, juice from, raita, sweets, kheer, in the form of sharbat.
Carrot is antiflatulent, diuretic, digestive, carminative, blood-builder and blood-purifier, energizes and invigorates body-system; repairs and sharpens impaired memory, has an excellent tonic effect on skin, eyes, muscles, heart, intestinal mobility, vermifuge , antipyretic; does away with insomnia, lassitude, run-drvn condition. ‘Carrot juice is sometimes called a miracle juice.
A large number of people in all walks of life suffering from various ailments have found that the inclusion of carrot juice in their diets has greatly improved their health.’ maintains Dr. John B. Lust. This opinion is confirmed by Dr. J.J. Schiffers when he says; ‘Vitamin ‘A’ promotes growth of bones and teeth, the maintenance of healthy body tissues and glandular functions’. Vitamin ‘A’ is especially necessary in the diet of expectant mothers to build up and maintain the health of both mother and the developing child.
Fresh carrot juice should be included in the diet not only during pregnancy but also during the period for nursing of the baby. Carrot juice is one of the richest source of vitamin ‘E’ in carrot. Dr. Henry Benjamin says, ‘Carrot juice is the rich source of vitamin ‘E’ which is very helpful in case of cancer. In laboratory tests, when the cancer tissue was placed in a ‘vitamin ‘E’ rich blood stream, it did not grow.
When a blood serum lacking vitamin ‘E’ was used in a similar test, the cancer cells grew readily’ wliich assertion proves, beyond doubt, that carrot juice, being rich in vitamin ‘E’ is capable of containing, if not totally eliminating cancer tissues and resultant effects, for the better, of course.
Carrot Juices for Various Disorders
(1) Constipation: If you combine spinach and carrot juices and take them, in a mixed form, after breakfast or supper, your intestines will be galvanized, their peristaltic action improved, resulting in removal of even chronic or recent constipation. Try not to avoid ingestion of water with/in-between two meals, but never with meals. As long as you keep using carrot, spinach juice for therapeutic uses, cultivate the habit of avoiding heavy and fat-enriched diet.
(2) Arthritis: Itis painful inflammatoryswelling of joints, particularly of knees joints and other big joints which have to bear the brunt of weight. Extract a glassful of carrots’ juice and add juice of Dandelion (Kamphool) to it (half of carrots’ juice). Usual dose is 5 ml twice daily, and should be used for a fortnight to obtain speedier relief but patience is needed to enable the recipe to show results. Maintain or restore mobility of painful and stiff joints by light exercises and/or moderate and well-tolerated movements. Massage with some oil (say Mahenarayan tail) or some pain balm or with vishagarbha oil. Even simply rubbing with turpentine oil will help a lot in the treatment of arthritis.
(3) Asthma: To 200 ml. of carrot juice, add 100 ml of spinach juice, for being taken, thrice a day. It should be continued for, at least, 3 months to derive maximum benefit. If one takes salad of spinach and carrot also, with or without meals, the patients should expect even speedier recovery.
(4) To Stop Bleeding: Stir up 250 ml each of carrot juice and curd of goat and take in early in the morning. It will help to cure bleeding due to piles and amoebisis. The same quantity may be repeated in the evening, if bleeding is more severe.
(5) Diabetes: Carrot juice is considered an ideal mode to keep glucose level under control. It may be mentioned that diabetes cannot be cured but can definitely be brought and kept under control. Add equal quantity of bitter gourd (Karela) to juice of carrot (say 300 ml in all) and take the mixture in the morning, or once during day time. Sweet content of carrot and bitter content of bitter-gourd will induce and activate the pancreas to secrete requisite quantity of insulin which is responsible for maintaining sugar-balance in the body.
(6) Eye-Care: Deficiency of vitamin ‘A’ can be made up by consuming 500 gms of fresh carrot in salad form or in juice form twice daily As already mentioned, carrot is a store-house of this vitamin. It will improve eye-sight. If eyes are washed with water, in which carrots have been boiled, it will relieve and relax strain on eyes.
(7) Palpitation: For quick relief have 100-150 ml of carrot juice in the morning to gain instant relief. This is an easy way to get relief. Some carrots should be roasted over hot sand. Before scraping/peeling off outer layer/skin of carrot, it should be kept overnight exposed to dew-pearls so that they get dew-drenched. Eat one such carrot with sugar-candy (mishri) in the morning, in addition to carrot juice. Further, a juice of carrot (about 100-150 gms) if, taken twice a day will normalize heart-beats and anxiety. ^
(8) Indigestion and costive/inactive bowels and other intestinal problems: Mix up even quantity of tomatoes, carrots and cabbage (100 ml. of each). Stir up homogeneously all the three extracts (juice) derived from fresh vegetables. Add some lime juice to it. It will provide strength to sick digestive system and thus normalize digestion by forcing but faecal matter from the intestines. Bowels will also function normally, stools will be natural and normal. Intestines will function normally, round worms will be expelled, eructations and gripes will cease to recur. In a nutshell, entire digestive system will be galvanized and fortified. If salt is desired to be added, a pinch or two may be added or added to taste.
(9) Inactive liver: Mix up 200 ml to 250 ml of carrot juice with 100-150 ml of spinach juice and take this as a medicine daily. Change over to gram-flour of blackgrams. Do not take any water while you are eating but always taking in half-an-hour after finishing meals will relieve the stomach inactivity. Only nature is capable of curing a damaged liver and any malady arising therefrom. Hence juice of spinach and carrot and flour of black grams, a mixed (boiled on low heat) vegetable of carrot and spinach will further bring quicker relief. Take only light food. Avoid fats in any form, except whey or curd of cow. Eliminate also all spices, pungent and other irritating items from diet.
(10) Epistaxis (Nose-bleeding): Prepare a paste from carrot, after grinding, and apply it over forehead and head, In addition, place the portion of it on and around nostrils, (But care should be taken that paste does not fill into the nostrils so that respiration is not impeded). Carrot juice, if drunk, will also make up for the lost blood and also help to stop (control) bleeding. During summer period a bit of scent of khus can also be useful.
(11) Fatness, obesity (Corpulence): Extract juice from carrots and add lettuce juice to it. (around 300-400 ml in all of both juices). It will not only shed out extra fat but will also stop the body from gaining additional weight. In fact, it emulsifies unwanted and extra fat and trims up the body. It is both preventive and curative of overweight (due to extra-weight). Said to be a well-tested recipe for shedding weight.
(12) Fire-Burns: Fresh carrots should be ground/grated and, thus grated/ground pieces/paste should be placed on the burnt portion to gain instant relief. The affected person should also take fresh (extracted) juice of carrots. It will subside burning sensation and also provide renewed energy and strength to the body. Alternatively, juice can also be used, on burnt portion, if there is some problem in placing pieces (grated/ ground).
(13) Gout: It is an inflammatory condition of small joints, caused by excess of uric acid in the blood. Excessive intake of fats and protein cause excess of uric acid. If allowed to linger on, gout will affect liver and kidneys, in addition to curvature and distortion of limbs, callosities/ calcium or uric acid deposits on joints. Combine juices of parsley and carrots, a glassful, twice daily. This combined juice will ameliorate the problem, if taken regularly for 10-15 days.
(14) Migraine: Ache in one half the head is known as Migraine. It is caused by digestive and emotional disturbances. Rub oil profusely of tender and fresh leaves of carrot. They should be slightly heated over fire. Extract juices from these leaves, smeared with ghee, and put some drops of the extract into ears and nostrils. This is required to be repeated for 4-5 days. It will precipitate and cause sneezing which, in turn, will cure migraine.
(15) Urination Problems: Juice of carrots is a diuretic and is, thus, capable of removing obstruction in urinary passage. Facilitating urinary flood and render it clean and without casts. When there is no burning and normal flow is restored, urination problems will subside. Drink carrot-juice, twice daily, when there is any urinary problem. Even to maintain normal functioning of urinary passage/system, carrot juice is very beneficial which should from part of regular diet.
(16) Fistula: It is painful condition of Faecal passage, when due to’ dry piles and chronic constipation hard faecal matter is excreted by force, causing permanent rupture, oozing of pus, much pain and smarting. Take 250 ml of fresh carrot juice until complaint disappears. It will smoothen faeces, facilitates passage, relieves pain. Discharge of pus will also stop. Stop using all irritating spices, drinks, smoking etc, taking only bland and liquid diet.