Do You Need More Vitamin C to See?

Maybe.  While we grew up thinking carrots are good for vision, new research suggest that you may also need to look to citrus foods for your eyes.

A recent study published in the Journal Ophthalmology, highlighted that the diet, especially vitamin C, may play an important role in protecting against cataracts.  This study looking at the diets of 1,000 female twins uncovered that those with initial diets with vitamin C-rich foods, but not supplements, were associated with a 20 percent reduction in the risk for cataract.  After a decade of following these twins, the researchers found that those women who consumed more vitamin C-rich foods had over a 30 percent risk reduction in the progression of cataracts.  In this study, an intake of 55 to 230 milligrams daily, which can easily be consumed in a healthy diet, was shown to be protective.  It is thought that vitamin C, which baths the lens of the eye, may act as act antioxidant protecting your vision. 

Cataracts cloud the lens of your eyes and can be a life altering condition that inhibits individuals to appropriately see the world around them.  The ability to clearly see can affect even the simplest tasks of everyday living.  Reading, driving a car, watching television, and making your meals can all becoming very cloudy and inhibit your ability to perform these activities. 

The first photo is an image being seen by folks with good vision.  The second photo is the same image viewed through the lens of a person with cataracts. 

Photo Source: NIH

 

 

Approximately, 20 million people have cataracts and is the leading cause of blindness globally.  While the progression of cataracts can start as early as you in your 40s, you typically won’t see an affect on your vision until after age 60.   By the time you turn 80 years old, there is a 50 percent chance that you will either have a cataract or have undergone cataract surgery according to the National Eye Institute.  

"The most important finding was that vitamin C intake from foods seemed to protect against cataract progression," said study author Christopher Hammond, MD, professor of ophthalmology at King's College in London.  "While we cannot totally avoid developing cataracts, we may be able to delay their onset and keep them from worsening significantly by eating a diet rich in vitamin C."  Hammond also notes that vitamin C may be just one of the protective factors within a healthy diet that are good for your eyes.

Americans, on average, should be consuming about 4 ½ cup of fruits and veggies daily, many are falling short of their daily produce goal.   Adding just a few servings of vitamin C-rich choices daily may be the best defense in protecting your eyes: 

Source: NIH

When it comes to long-term good vision, look to a healthy diet with adequate amounts of vitamin-C rich foods. 

Be well, Joan

Twitter: @JoanSalgeBlake

Cedarwood (Virginia) Essential Oil

Cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil is pretty unique. The oil comes from the red cedar or eastern red cedar tree, which actually belongs to the genus Juniperus. That's why it's sometimes called Virginian juniper. Let's learn more about this essential oil.

Quick Glance at Cedarwood (Virginia) Essential Oil
Pros: This essential oil is anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and insecticidal.
Cons: -
Precautions: Consult your doctor before trying this or any other essential oil.

Properties of Cedarwood (Virginia) Essential Oil

Here's a look at some of the properties of this essential oil.

Name

Cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil comes from the Juniperus virginiana tree. Now, this oil can get confused with juniper essential oil, but that oil comes from another species within the same genus (Juniperus). So if you're looking to buy cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil, look out for the botanical name: Juniperus virginiana or simply ask for Juniperus virginiana essential oil.

You should also know that cedarwood (Virginia) is sometimes called eastern red cedar, Virginian juniper, and pencil cedar. So you can use any of these names when buying the oil too.

Color & Scent

This essential oil ranges from a light yellow to amber to almost red-brown color. And it has a beautiful woody, slightly balsamic smell.

Compounds

The compounds in cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil are pretty consistent. The oil mainly contains varying amounts of cedrol, thujopsene, alpha-cedrene, beta-cedrene, widdrol, alpha-selinene, and cuparene.

Benefits of Cedarwood (Virginia) Essential Oil

Unfortunately, there aren't many studies exploring the benefits of cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil. Nevertheless, here's what's been proven so far.

1. It is anti-inflammatory

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food proved cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil has anti-inflammatory benefits.

The in vivo study used the essential oil obtained from heartwood samples of the Juniperus virginiana tree and compared with other essential oils from the Juniperus genus. The results showed that Juniperus virginiana essential oil was the most effective anti-inflammatory oil tested.

That means cedarwood (Virginia) oil can be used to reduce skin redness, irritation and more. And, according to the study, this essential oil has helpful wound-healing benefits too. Awesome!

2. It is anti-fungal

There are studies dating back to the 1970s that show cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil has anti-fungal benefits.

And those studies went further to point to cedrol as the compound responsible for these effects.

3. It has insecticidal benefits

Again there are studies from the 1970s like this one that showed cedrol and cedrene can disrupt the reproductive and developmental cycles of several insects, like the peanut trash bug, the Indian meal moth and the forage mite.

A more recent study from 2004 showed cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil and, more specifically, cedrol and widdrol were also toxic to termites.

Clearly, this oil is a great, all-natural insecticide. So the next time you whip up a batch of your homemade bug spray, why not add a few drops of this essential oil?

There it is... the few proven benefits of cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil.

Uses of Cedarwood (Virginia) Essential Oil

Ok so you have seen the benefits of this essential oil. But what about its uses? Well here are a few ways to use cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil.

Inhaling

If you're looking for a beautiful woody smell, then try this essential oil. Just add one to two drops of the oil to your diffuser or to a tissue and inhale deeply.

Cedarwood (Virginia) oil also blends well with other woody, earthy tones. So mix it with sandalwood, vetiver, cypress, juniper, carrot seed, rosemary, frankincense, and patchouli essential oils.

Massaging

You can absolutely use cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil in your massage blends too. But before you do, make sure you patch test. To do this, mix a 5% blend with your favorite carrier oil. That works up to be 5 drops of cedarwood (Virginia) added to 5 milliliters of your carrier oil.

Dab a bit of the mixture on the inside of your elbow and behind your ear. Monitor the areas for several hours. If they get red, irritated or start burning, then wash the areas immediately. You may be sensitive to the oil and shouldn't use it on your skin.

If you don't see any effects, then you can use the essential oil in your blends. Don't forget though... 5% blends should be the most concentrated essential oil mixtures you use on your skin.

More Precautions

Finally, like with all essential oils, consult with your doctor or health care professional before trying cedarwood (Virginia) essential oil. This is especially important if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, suffering from any ailments or using certain medications.

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Carrot Seed Essential Oil

Carrot seed essential oil isn't the same as carrot oil. Let's get that clear! Carrot seed essential oil comes from the seeds of the wild carrot plant (which you may know as Queen Anne's lace or bishop's lace)... It doesn't come from the carrots we love to eat.

Actually, the carrots we eat are a subspecies of the wild carrot plant. So yes the two are related. But the properties of carrot seed essential oil and carrot oil are very different.

In fact, let's get into the properties, benefits and uses of carrot seed essential oil right now.

Quick Glance at Carrot Seed Essential Oil
Pros: Carrot seed essential oil is antibacterial, antifungal and larvicidal.
Cons: -
Precautions: This oil isn't advised for use by pregnant women. And, as with all other oils, check with your doctor before using this essential oil.

Properties of Carrot Seed Essential Oil

It's important to know about the properties of this essential oil. So here's a little more about its names, color, smell and chemical composition.

Name

You've already seen that we are talking about wild carrot here and not the vegetable. And you've also seen wild carrot is sometimes called Queen Anne's lace and bishop's lace.

But you should also look out for the botanical name when buying this essential oil. Wild carrot's botanical name is Daucus carota.

Note: the carrots we eat are a subspecies of wild carrot so its botanical name is similar. It is Daucus carota subsp. sativus.

Color & Scent

Carrot seed essential oil typically has a yellow to light brown color. And it has a unique scent. You can say it's more earthy and woody.

Compounds

The chemical composition of carrot seed essential oil varies considerably. In a 2007 report, carrot seed essential oil was found to contain over 66% of carotol as well as daucene, alpha-farnesene, germacrene-D, trans-alpha-bergamotene and beta-selinene. In another study done in 2013, it was reported carrot seed oil contained almost 40% of beta-bisabolene together with sabinene, geranyl acetate, and elemicin.

So it is clear there is tremendous variability in the chemical composition of carrot seed essential oil.

Benefits of Carrot Seed Essential Oil

There are only a handful of studies that specifically look at the benefits of wild carrot seed essential oil.

But there are also a few that explore the benefits of wild carrot oil extract (like this one) and extracts of wild carrot seeds (like this one). But here's the thing. Wild carrot oil extract or even extracts of the seeds aren't the same as wild carrot seed essential oil. I mean essential oils contain the volatile components whereas the oil extracts can contain these plus heavier, non-volatile compounds. So they can't all be grouped as the same thing.

That doesn't mean wild carrot seed essential oil won't have some of the benefits as wild carrot oil extract or extract of wild carrot seeds. It just means it hasn't been proven yet.

That being said, here are a few scientifically proven benefits specific to carrot seed essential oil.

1. It is antibacterial

There are several studies that demonstrate carrot seed's antibacterial benefits.

For instance, a 1999 study showed that carrot seed essential oil (at concentrations under 2mg/L) was effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria like Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus.

But, carrot seed isn't among the most powerful antibacterial essential oils... It's no lemongrass or oregano.

Still, another more recent study in 2002 showed carrot seed oil was active against the bacteria: Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella enterica. The study went on to identify geranyl acetate as the compound that may be responsible for these effects.

2. It is anti-fungal

Here's another benefit of carrot seed essential oil... It's anti-fungal. That is according to the 1999 study mentioned above and this 2013 study.

Both studies investigated the effects of the oil against the yeast, Candida albicans. And both showed that carrot seed essential oil was pretty effective against the fungi species.

3. It is larvicidal

A 2015 study explored the effects of 12 essential oils on the larvae of the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus).

Of the essential oils tested, carrot seed along with ajowan, caraway, celery, cumin, dill and parsley essential oils had the most impressive results. These oils killed over 90% of the larvae at concentrations of 0.1 mg/mL.

That's 0.1! So clearly, carrot seed essential oil is a pretty potent larvicide. The study went on to identify carotol as the compound responsible for these benefits.

Note:

Other studies using wild carrot oil extracts and extracts from wild carrot seeds have shown antioxidant and anti-cancer benefits. But remember, we can't say that those benefits translate to the seed essential oil. It just doesn't work that way.

So the confirmed, scientifically proven, irrefutable benefits of carrot seed essential oil are it's antibacterial, anti-fungal and larvicidal.

Uses of Carrot Seed Essential Oil

The proven benefits of carrot seed essential oil are a little limited. But that's ok you can still use the oil in your diffuser or in your massage blend. Here's more...

Inhaling

You can add 2-3 drops of carrot seed essential oil to your diffuser for an earthy, woody smell. Carrot seed also pairs well with many other essential oils, especially citrus, floral and spicy oils. That means you can blend lemon, lime, bergamot, and even lavender and geranium essential oils with carrot seed.

Massaging

Of course, you can also add carrot seed essential oil to your massage blends... But the oil (like all other essential oils) must be 'patch-tested' and properly diluted. A 5% concentration should be the strongest blend you apply to your skin. That works up to be about 5 drops per 5mL of carrier oil like jojoba or apricot kernel oil.

More Precautions

Carrot seed essential oil isn't advised for pregnant women. So be sure to check with your health care professional before using this or any other essential oil. This is very important for nursing women as well along with anyone taking medications. Be safe!

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