Chamomile, Carrots and Honey soap
By: Jocelyne Rocke
Description and Rationale
Chamomile flowers and carrots are abundant in the Philippine community and have many different uses, especially in cosmetics. Many cosmetic companies have introduced Chamomile and carrot extracts in cosmetic products such as soaps and body scrubs; as they have a strong fragrance and are high in Vitamin A, which is exceptionally good for the skin. The focus of my project is to provide a sufficient and easy way to produce healthy organic soaps which are good for the skin and that are simple to make in one’s household.
How could chamomile and carrots benefit one’s skin? Would they provide smoother and better looking skin? Would it enhance one’s glow and remove unwanted bacteria from the skin? Chamomile can also be used in herbal teas but which used on the skin it “ideally to replenish and enrich dry or sensitive skin. Its bactericidal, anti-itching, and antiseptic properties help to refresh the skin and reduce swelling.” (Chamomile & skin care)
On the other hand carrots are a very good source of vitamin A and beta carotene in addition is very good for the eyes. If carrots were made into soaps would they also have also have positive effects on the skin? According to sources, carrots have “antioxidant and soothing properties, and are often used in products to revitalize, rejuvenate, and tone mature or sun-exposed skin. “ (CV natural soap bars). Carrots would also be able to “prevent wrinkles, scars, eczema, and aging.” (CV natural soap bars). Due to carrots being high in vitamin A, it would “nourish, normalize, revitalize, tone, and improve skin elasticity, giving it a fresher firmer appearance.” (CV natural soap bars). Honey also has a big impact on the skin because it “rehydrates dried-out skin, and has been used as an emollient for centuries.” (CV natural soap bars)
The immediate purpose of this project is to provide easy and efficient ways for Filipinos who want easier ways for making organic and healthy soap, and also for those who cannot afford buying soap all the time, they could just make homemade soap. These ingredients aren’t very difficult to find, and the soap making process is fairly easy to do. Chamomile, carrots and honey rehydrate and replenish dried out skin to produce smoother and healthier skin.
It is anticipated that Chamomile, Carrot and Honey soap would improve the skin of the Filipino population from all ages, and would also be more efficient and healthier than buying soaps made with various chemicals.
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Biology
Common Names and Synonyms
The carrot is a biennial Eurasian plant (Daucus carota) in the parsley family, widely “cultivated for its edible taproot”. (Answers.com) Daucus carota, also known as the carrot gets its name from the “French word carotte”, which in turn comes from the “Latin carōta”. (Plant Answers) In “Greek it is known as karōto, it originally from the Indoeuropean root ker- (horn), due to its horn-like shape”. It is a domesticated form of the wild carrot “Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia”. (Wikipedia)
Daucus came from the “Greek word daukos (or dais), which means to burn”. Some say, the word carrot came from “Celtic for red of color”. In Tagalog, the name pronounced the same but spelled as “Karot”. (MD idea) The name “Carota for the garden Carrot is found first in the writings of Athenaeus (A.D. 200), and in a book on cookery by Apicius Czclius” (A.D. 230). It was “Galen (second century A.D.) who added the name Daucus” to distinguish the Carrot from the Parsnip, calling it “D. pastinaca”, and Daucus came to be the official name in the sixteenth century, and was “adopted by Linnaeus in the eighteenth century”. (MD idea)
Classification
Kingdom: Plantae (plants)
Division: Magnoliophyta (flowering plants)
Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledon)
Order: Apiales (flowering plants)
Family: Apiaceae (carrot family)
Genus: Daucus (genus of herbaceous plants)
Species: D. carota (carrots)
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Morphology and Physical Description
The carrot is a “root vegetable, typically orange or white in color with a woody texture”. The edible part of a carrot is a taproot. It is a “biennial plant which grows a rosette of leaves in the spring and summer” while building up the stout taproot, which stores large amounts of sugars for the plant to flower in the second year. (Global Oneness). It is a “large taproot, which are common to all dicotyledon plants”, which are plants that have two seed leaves (cotyledons) in the embryo. (Creation Wiki)
The carrot (Daucus Carota) is a “biennial vegetable of the family Umbelliferae”. It has “tripinnate leaves of a feathery appearance”. The plant rises to a height of some “60 centimetres and produces white flowers”. The root is “strong-flavoured and tapering”. In the wild carrot the “root is white, but in the cultivated variety it is orange in colour” and it grows up to “7 inches long”. (Probert Encyclopedia)
Like many root vegetables, carrots have an interesting anatomy. When you cut a carrot in half you will notice that there is a pale central section surrounded by a deeper colored exterior. There is an easy explanation behind this- the outside is the storage area for nutrients used by the plant, while the inner section is simply vascular tissue.
Carrots contain beta-carotene, a carotenoid pigment found in bright orange fruits and vegetables that is also a precursor for vitamin A. Vitamin A plays a major role in eyesight by preventing night blindness and helping with the maintenance of a healthy, clear cornea (outer membrane of the eye). Carrots also contain a compound called lutein, an antioxidant almost always paired with zeaxanthin.
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Getting Food
There are ways to grow carrots that will greatly affect their produce. There are different types of soil and temperatures that need to be taken into consideration for the carrots to grow more efficiently. Carrots grow best in a “deep, loose, fertile soil with good water-holding capacity and freedom from stones and clods, to develop long, straight roots acceptable to the commercial market. Well-drained sandy loam, are ideal, but carrots can also be grown on heavy soils with proper cultural practices”. (Plant Kingdom) The best soil for growing carrots is between “pH 6-6.5”. Proper soil is the “key to success” with carrots. (Veggie Harvest)
Another variable that needs to be taken into consideration is the climate the carrots are grown in. Carrots are usually “adapted to cool climates with a long growing period free from extremes of temperature and moisture. High temperatures early in the growing season are injurious, and continuous high temperatures in latter stages of development may reduce yield, retard growth, and promote a strong-flavored root.” The tastiest carrots are the early varieties, which can be harvested as early as early June. (Plant Kingdom)
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Reproduction
The carrot is a biennial plant that normally requires “two growing seasons with a cool rest period between them”. This will complete its life cycle from the “planting of seed to the maturing of seed”. However, in a single season (60 to 90 days depending on the variety and growing conditions) the carrot "root" is produced in suitable size for marketing. (NDSU)
Carrots only flower “once every two years; in the first year the plant produces the edible root and a leafy top. If a carrot plant is left in the ground for another year, it flowers and seeds are produced”.
Sexual reproduction in carrots is therefore “not different” from other flowering plants. Pollen is produced and “transferred to the female part of the flower, the stigma”. The pollen grain then “delivers the sperm cells” within it to the ovary via a long tube where fertilisation takes place. (Carrot Museum)
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Environmental Factors
Since Carrots are root crops, they are affected by a number of pests and diseases, which damage their produce quality. Some examples of pests that feed on carrots are “carrot root flies, flea beetles, vegetable weevils, army worms, parley worms, yellow woollybears, vegetable leafminers, six spotted leaf hoppers, tarnished plant bugs, wireworms and thrips”. The carrot root flies directly “attack the carrots” and the root crops, they “feed directly” on the roots. The flea beetles “nibble small holes in the leaves of the carrot” and they also carry plant diseases. The vegetable weevil “feeds on the leaves of the plants” and usually attacks at night. The vegetable leafminers resemble “small yellow maggots, they mine through the leaves” which leaves a trail in the leaf. To avoid these pests, the use of organic pesticide would greatly reduce these pests feeding on carrot crops. Another natural technique you can use to deal with some insects is to use a “row cover; it will make it harder for flying insects to attack the carrots”.
There are a number of diseases that greatly affect carrots; some of them are “aster yellows, black root rot, damping-off, leaf blight, leaf spot, powdery mildew and root knot nematode”. Leaf Blight is a fungal disease that “attacks the leaves of mature plants”; they appear as “brownish decaying spots with yellow centers”. The Root Not Nematode causes “galls on the roots and deformed roots”. To prevent soil borne diseases, refrain from planting carrots in the same spot more than once every “3 years”. To treat fungal diseases, “natural fungicides would help prevent them”. There are some other problems that carrots undergo such as “growth cracks, forked carrots, limited root growth and green tops”. Growth cracks are caused by “incorrect irrigation of carrot crops”. Green tops might be formed when the roots are “formed too close to the soil level and thus the tops turning green due to sun exposure”. A lot of safety precautions must be followed in order to prevent pests and diseases from ruining healthy carrot crops. (Carrot Gardening Tips)
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Origin and Distribution
The Carrot “originated 5000 years ago in Middle Asia around Afghanistan”, and slowly spread into the “Mediterranean area”. The first carrots were “white, purple, red, yellow, green and black - not orange”. Its roots were “thin and turnip shaped”. “Temple drawings from Egypt in 2000 B.C. showed a plant”, which some Egyptologists believe to have represented a “large carrot”. Egyptian “papyruses contain information about treatment” with carrot and its seeds were found in pharaoh crypts. Carrot seeds have been found in prehistoric Swiss lake dwellings giving clear evidence of human consumption. There is however no “evidence of cultivation” at this stage, more likely they were used for medicinal purposes. Similar findings appear also in ancient Glastonbury. (MD idea)
Carrots originated from Central Asia with Afghanistan as the primary center of origin. It was then distributed and cultivated in countries in Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Phillipines.It is one of the most important vegetables commonly grown in the Philippine highlands. The production areas are in Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Negros Oriental, and Bukidnon. (Bureau of Ag)
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Importance to People
Carrots have various different uses that can effectively benefit the world today. It is used in cosmetics, as a source for Vitamin A to improve eyesight and to reduce cancer risks. Latest research reveals that a compound in carrots may reduce the risk of developing cancer. “Falcarinol, a natural pesticide found in carrots”, is the specific component that reduces the risk of developing cancer. (Bio Medicine)
The 3 most important elements found in carrots are “Beta-carotene, Vitamin A, and Phytochemicals”. The body changes beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is important in “strengthening the immune system, keeping the skin, lungs and intestinal track in order, and promoting healthy cell growth”.
Vitamin A is a “pale yellow primary alcohol derived from carotene”. It affects the “formation and maintenance of skin, mucous membranes, bones, and teeth, vision and reproduction”. In addition dietary Vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene, an antioxidant, may help “reduce the risk of certain cancers”. Phytochemicals which are found in vegetables, fruits, and nuts, also aid in “reducing the risk of cancer, strokes, hinder the ageing process, balance hormonal metabolism, and have antiviral and antibacterial properties”.
Beta-carotene helps to “protect vision, especially night vision”. After beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the liver, it “travels to the retina where it is transformed into rhodopsin--a purple pigment that is necessary for night-vision”. In addition, beta-carotene's “helps provide protection against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts”--the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. (MD idea)
The Carrot has been regarded as the 'herbal healer' of skin diseases. Indeed Vitamin A or betacarotene, of which carrot is rich, can be recognized as the main vitamins for the skin. “Dry skin, with impurities, acne, difficulty in tanning, sunburns, eritema, premature appearance of wrinkles” - all these skin problems can depend largely on an insufficient intake of this vitamin.
Carrot is therefore very useful for the skin for its properties, as it revitalizes and tones the skin. It is used as soaps to treat “dermatitis, eczema, rashes, as well as wrinkles”. Used also to “promote the healing of cuts, abrasions and stubborn sores”.
Carrots improve eyes, as they “relieve eyestrain and the inflammation of the eyes”. They are also very “nourishing as they promote healthy skin” and beneficial to areas of the skin that are regularly exposed to the sun and tend to blister and peel. It is also very moisturizing, it “aids in repair of skin tissue and helps in the treatment of dry”, chapped and scaling skin conditions. (Anagen)
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Survivability and Endangered Status
Carrots are one of the most abundant vegetables in most temperate countries.
It is definitely not one of the endangered vegetables because huge yields of carrots are grown each year. In 2005, “China was the largest producer of carrots and turnips, according to the FAO”. China accounted for at least “one third of the global output, followed by russia and the United States”. (Wkipedia)
One of the best sources of beta carotene is commonly grown in high elevation like Mountain Province. But through variety and adaptability trials, some carrot varieties could be grown now in medium elevations and in lowland areas. It is one of the most important vegetables commonly grown in the Philippine highlands. The production areas are in Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Nueva Vizcaya, Cebu, Davao del Sur, Negros Oriental, and Bukidnon. In the Phillipines carrots are abundant and are sold in the market in various places. (Bureau of ag)
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Potential Solutions
Do carrots benefit in the production of soaps, bath body scrubs and cosmetics? If so, would it potentially benefit and gradually improve the condition of one’s skin? Carrots are easy to find in the Philippine community because they are sold in the market. It has been tested and proven that carrots are an effective skin moisturizer and cleanser; it also contains “large amounts of beta-carotene which the body converts to vitamin A and large amounts of roughage”. Below are 3 possibilities with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages for each. Along with each possibility is a current status report of progress made to date on each of the possibilities. (Anagen)
Possibility 1 -Organic Carrot Soap
Carrot soap is very beneficial to the skin because it revitalizes it and improves the skins condition. It is very “nourishing as it promotes healthy skin” and is beneficial to areas of the skin that are regularly exposed to the sun and tend to blister and peel. It is also very moisturizing, it “aids in repairing skin tissue and helps in the treatment of dry, chapped and scaling skin conditions”. (Anagen)
Advantages:
1. Carrot aids in repair of skin tissue and “helps in the treatment of dry, chapped and scaling skin conditions”. Carrot promotes healthy skin and is beneficial to areas of the skin that are regularly “exposed to the sun and tend to blister and peel”. (Anagen) Indeed Vitamin A or beta-carotene, of which carrot is rich in, can be considered the main vitamins for the skin.
2. Organic carrot soap can be made easily out of normal Castile soap just like I did in my experiment. There are only a few ingredients needed if you are to make carrot soap out of shredded castile soap, and those are olive oil, palm oil, coconut oil, almond oil, water and carrot juice. With one bar of Castile soap you can produce five different yields of carrot soap which can treat your skin to be smoother and healthier.
Disadvantages
1. To make soap lye is needed, and this is among the ingredients that one must take the most precaution when handling. It can’t just be found anywhere you need to go to the specialized outlets to buy this product. There are also a number of precautions needed to be taken such as: “Wearing goggles to protect your eyes, Wearing rubber or latex gloves to protect your hands and long sleeves for your arms and lastly keeping children and pets out of your work area as it is dangerous to have them around the lye”. In the event you happen to get any lye on your skin, “neutralize it right away with some vinegar. Then, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.” (Soap Making with Lye)
There are a lot of precautions that are required to be taken diligently or else you might damage your skin or mess up in the soap making process. Another solution you could use to replace lye is simply a shredded Castile soap bar. This will remove the huge burden of making the lye solution and it is a much easier process for making soap that is why I used this process when I made my carrot soap.
2. The soap making process is lengthy, time consuming and requires a lot of different materials. Making the soap is a lengthy process especially when you use lye because you have to go through the soap making process and the process of making the lye solution. It is simply time consuming and it takes a lot of effort and patience especially waiting for the soap to cool. It takes 5 hours or more before the soap cools and hardens. Most people wouldn’t want to waste all their time and effort to go through this tiresome and lengthy process.
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Possibility 2 - Food, dishes and healthy shakes made out of carrots
Carrots in food have a lot of health benefits such as eyesight improvement due to its rich amount of Vitamin A and Beta-carotene. Carrots also offer an excellent “source of fiber, vitamin K, and biotin”. They are a good source of “vitamins B6 and C, potassium, and thiamine”. They contain a large amount of antioxidant compounds which help to “protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer”. Extensive studies have shown that a diet that includes at least one carrot per day could “cut the rate of lung cancer in half”. (Every Nutrient)
Carrots are also effective in promoting good vision, especially “night vision”. Beta-carotene provides “protection against macular degeneration and the development of senile cataracts” - which is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. (Every nutrient) Carrots are best when eaten raw because all those vitamins aren’t cooked yet.
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Carrots - serving size 1/2 cup
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Vitamin A (retinol) equivalents (micrograms)
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% RDA* for women
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% RDA* for men
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Fresh, raw
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2050
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256%
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205%
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Boiled, raw
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1790
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223%
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179%
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Boiled, frozen
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1290
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161%
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129%
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Boiled, canned
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1005
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126%
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101%
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*Recommended Dietary Allowance
Advantages:
1. There are a number of advantages for having carrots as food. We can make it into different pastries such as carrot cake, we can make it into carrot juice, or we can simply eat it raw or cook it into different delicious dishes. Either way we eat or drink it; it will greatly benefit our health because it contains a lot of vitamins and beta-carotene which are good for our body. They are “an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Carrots' antioxidant compounds help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision”. (WH foods)
2. Carrots would benefit our health. The Intake of foods such as carrots that are rich in carotenoids may be “beneficial to blood sugar regulation”. Research has suggested that physiological levels, as well as dietary intake, of “carotenoids may be inversely associated with insulin resistance and high blood sugar levels”. (WH foods)
Disadvantages:
1. Some people don’t really like eating vegetables so they would rather not eat carrots even though it is exceptionally healthy for them. Some people’s preference in food isn’t in the vegetable range so they would most likely not eat carrots.
2. In the Philippines there are a lot of cases of poverty and some Filipinos are very malnourished, because of this some Filipinos might not be able to afford carrots. Thus they won’t have the nutrients given by carrots in their diet. This might one of the disadvantages and because of this; it might lead to future health problems.
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Possibility 3 -
Would body lotion made out of carrots potentially hydrate and nourish dry skin? Would it effectively give that long lasting moisture and give you naturally soft, smooth, and healthy skin?
1. The Carrot body lotion moisturizes rehydrates the skin. The Carrot seed oil “stimulates skin renewal, and Sunflower and Coconut oils to hydrate, nourish and protect skin”. It's enriched with Beta Carotene, a “natural anti-oxidant, Vitamin E to soothe, and Aloe to moisturize and heal dry, exposed skin”. It would moisturize your skin and result to soft, smooth, and healthy skin. (Burt’s Bees)
2. The Carrot body lotion would help maintain smooth, soft disease-free anti-inflammatory skin “; it would revitalize and tone the skin. It is used to treat dermatitis, eczema, rashes, as well as wrinkles (for its antioxidant properties which fight the damage to tissues caused by free radicals). It can also be used also to promote the healing of cuts, abrasions and stubborn sores.” (Anagen)
Disadvantages:
1. The cost and the burden of making the lotion is time and energy consuming. “A preservative should be added to a cream or lotion if you intend to “sell the product” or keep it for more than a few weeks. Bacteria, mold and fungus can form in any product containing water and therefore a” preservative” should be used as well as an “antioxidant” for the Oil base of your lotion.” (Beauty From Nature)
2. Measurements for ingredients are expressed in “weight and not volume, and ingredients should be weighed on a digital scale, for accuracy”. It is required to be extra accurate when measuring the ingredients. (Beauty From Nature)
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Bibliography
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“All natural soaps”. CV Natural Soaps bars. 2004. Chagrin Valley Soap & Craft Company. 4 April 2009. http://chagrinvalleysoapandcraft.com/soapbars.htm
“Carrot”. Anagen. 12 April 2009. http://www.anagen.net/carrot.htm
“Carrots”. Answers.com. 12 April 2009. http://www.answers.com/carrot
“Carrot”. Wikipedia. 12 April 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot
“Carrots found to reduce cancer risk”. Bio Medicine. 12 April 2009. http://www.bio-medicine.org/medicine-news/Carrots-Found-To-Reduce-Cancer-Risk-3253-1/
“Carrot, Daucus carota, Origin and Archeology of Carrot, Modern Researches”. MD idea. April 12, 2009. http://www.mdidea.com/products/new/new069.html
“Carrot: Encyclopedia”. Global Oneness. April 12 2009. http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Carrot/id/439939
“Carrot”. Probert Encyclopedia. April 12, 2009. http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/cgi-bin/res.pl?keyword=Carrot&offset=0
“Carrot”. CreationWiki. 12 April 12, 2009. http://creationwiki.org/Carrot
“Carrot”. NDSU. 12 April 2009. http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/alt-ag/carrots.htm
“Carrot Growing and Harvest Information”. Veggie Harvest. 12 April 2009. http://www.veggieharvest.com/vegetable-garden/carrots.html
“Cultivation of the Carrot” .Carrot Museum. 12 April 2009. http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/cultivation.html
“Carrot pests and diseases”. Carrot gardening tips. 12 April 2009. http://www.carrotgardeningtips.com/pests_diseases.html
“Daucus Carota (Carrot)”. Plant Kingdom. 12 April 2009. http://www.plantkingdom.com/kingdom/apiaceae/d_carota.htm
“Make your own Lotion”. Beauty from Nature. 2008. Glenbrook Farms Herbs & Such. 3 May 2009. http://glenbrookfarm.com/makinglotions.htm
Sims, Danielle. “Chamomile and Skin Treatment”. Chamomile & Skin care. 2005. Learn-about-tea.com. 4 April 2009. http://www.learn-about-tea.com/chamomile.html
Interviews:
Interview with Lush. Telephone number : (632) 8176152
Interview with Nonette Sembran
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