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| | Carrot is a biennial plant (seldom annual or perennial), rosette of leaves and root are formed in the first year of life and seed bush and seeds in the second year.
Carrot is widely found, including in the Mediterranean countries, Africa, Australia, New Zealand and America (upto 60 kinds).
Most popular carrot (cultivated, Daucus sativus, Daucus carota) is a biennial plant with rough hard whitish or orange colored root vegetable. Cultivated carrots are divided into table and fodder. Blossom cluster -- 10--15 stem complex umbrella and stems are rough-drawn down and extend during flowering. Flowers are with small denticles of cups and with white, red or yellowish petals. Dark red color flower is present in the centre of umbrella. Fruits are small, elliptic diachenium with length 3-4 mm. Grows in the first year (June -- July).
Root crop is pulpy, conical frustum, cylindrical or spindle-shaped weighing from 30 - 300 gm and more.
Uses:
Root crops are used in food items and seeds for preparation of tincture and extracts. Root crops contain carotenoids -- carotene, phytoene, phytofluene and lycopene; vitamins B, В2, pantothenic acid, ascorbic acid; flavonoids, anthocyanidins, sugar (3-15 %), fat and some quantity of essence, umbelliferone; in seeds -- essence, flavonoid compounds and fat oil. Anthocyanidin compounds and flavonoids (quercetin, cemppherol) are found in blossoms.
In medicine, carrots are used during hypo-and avitaminosis (vitamin deficiency). Promotes epithelization, activates intracellular oxidation-reduction processes, regulates carbohydrate exchange and is soft laxative.
Seeds are used for obtaining medicinal products, e.g. Daucarin, possessing antispasmodic action, which is similar to the actions of papaverine and Khellinum, expands coronary vessels; it is used during atherosclerosis, coronary deficiency with angina pectoris phenomena. Extracts and essence for cosmetics and aromatherapy are obtained from seeds. In traditional folk medicine, wild carrots are used as antihelmintic and laxative drug.
History:
Presumably, for the first time, carrots were cultivated in Afghanistan, where till now, various varieties of D. carota are cultivated. Nearest wild variety of carrot is wild carrot: cultivars were reduced through selection. Plants with edible branchy root, which can be differentiated by bitter and woody taste, are obtained from the discarded seeds of garden carrots plants.
Originally, carrots were not cultivated for the sake of root crop but for the sake of aromatic leaves and seeds. First reference to the use of carrot roots in food, as mentioned in classical sources, was in the 1st century C.E. Modern carrots spread to Europe in XIII--X centuries; Ibn Al Awam described red and yellow carrots in Andalusia. Simeon Seth (XI century) mentions the same colors. Carrots were described in Domostroy, monument of Russian literature of XVI century. Orange carrots, for the first time, appeared in Netherlands in XVII century. |
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