Carrot is an edible root vegetable which is originated from Asia. It gains high respect in Western countries as it has been regarded as the best dishes for its outstanding nutritional and medicinal values. Even Dutch have listed carrot as one of their national dishes.
Carrot contains a very complete nutrition to provide our body the essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals. For each 100 gram, the carrot has 7.6 gram of carbohydrate, 0.6 gram of protein, 0.3 gram of fat, 30 milligram of calcium and 0.6 milligram of iron. Also, it is a good source of fiber, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, biotin, potassium and thiamine.
Carrot also offers an excellence source of beta-carotene, which is 3.62milligram (equivalent to 1981 international unit for the value of vitamin A) in each 100 gram of carrots. Many studies have shown that carrot provide us the highest amount of beta-carotene among the list of vegetables we always consume everyday.
The best thing of carrot is that it is easily assimilated by our body. Chinese practitioners said that carrot tastes sweet, and it is good for the health of spleen and stomach. It is also believed to improve impotence (lower sexual drive), sexual dysfunction, night blindness, long term cough (or call hundred days cough in Chinese medical prescription) besides strengthening kidney and eliminating excessive wind and cold in our body.
Carrot has proved its outstanding role in anti-cancer effect. The research revealed that people with lack of beta-carotene were more likely to have 2 times higher risk of cancer than normal people. It is wiser to eat an appropriate amount of carrot per day to prevent cancer. This is because beta-carotene in the carrot can be easily changed by our body into vitamin A, which is essential for healthy cell growth, strong immune system and protection against mascular degeneration (AMD).
The research also found that carrot contains bulk of folic acid, a group of vitamin B, which has good effect to fight against free radicals (substances that cause cancer) in our body. The lignin found in carrot too, helps to strengthen our immune system to fight against cancerous cells. Potash succinate, its anti hypertensive drug properties may also help to reduce the blood pressure. Therefore, it is also regarded as a good diet for hypertension's patient.
As carrot is fat-soluble substance, its nutrition is absorbed better with the presence of oil. Therefore, it is better to dip one drop of olive oil into a glass of carrot juice so that our body can effectively absorbed its nutrition.
Carrot Food Therapy for Certain Diseases is Listed as Follow:
For Hypertension's Patient
Drink 100milliliter of fresh organic carrot juices everyday and it should be two servings per day. The therapy should proceed constantly for 30 days.
For Those Who Have Constipation
Blend fresh organic carrot juices with a juicer. Then, pour the juice into a glass. Dip a drop of olive oil into the glass. Mix it with an appropriate amount of royal jelly honey. Stir the mixture for a thorough mix. Each serving should be 80 milliliter, with every morning and night each.
For Those Who Have Night Blindness or Dry Dull Eyes
Get ready with 250gram of fresh organic carrots. Put two tablespoons of olive oil in the wok. Add in carrots. Fry with slow fire till it is thoroughly cooked. It should be one serving for a day. The therapy should proceed constantly for 7 days.
For Those Who Have Long-Term Cough (Hundred Days Cough)
Get ready with 200 gram fresh organic carrots and 13 pieces of jujube (Chinese red dates). Cook with slow fire. Make sure the amount of water is not too much or too little. There should be approximately 8 bowls of water (measured with a small Chinese bowl) for approximately 30 minutes. It should be one serving per day.
For Those Who Suffer From Scalp Itching and Dandruff
Get ready with 200 gram fresh organic carrots. Use slow fire to stew the carrots. Add in appropriate amount of sea salt according to your taste. It should be one serving for a day.
It is very important to take note that the carrot should not be taken together with an orange. This is because Thiocyanate compound in carrot will react chemically with substances in orange which can cause goiter (the enlargement of the thyroid). Similarly, carrot cannot be taken together with polygonum multiflorum (Chinese knotweed or flowery) and ginseng.
