Carrots, according to folk medicine, are therapeutic against general nervousness, asthma, dropsy and especially skin disorders. The chemical family name of carotene, carotenoids, derives its name from carrots, it is the primary pigment of all deep-orange and deep green vegetables (green chlorophyll covers up the orange or red hue). It is a synthetic carotenoid, beta carotene, naturally abundant in carrots that scientists isolated by accident.

Actually, it all began not with carrots, but liver - at least the type of vitamin A in liver. Crucial to the mystery is the fact that Vitamin A comes in two forms: preformed retinol from animal foods such as liver and milk, and plant carotene which is converted in the body to useable retinol. Originally carrots were lumped together with liver and milk as a source of vitamin A without any recognition of any difference of performance. Vitamin A controls cell differentiation, which is what gets out of whack in cancer. Also, vitamin A protects the epithelial cells of the body's inner and outer linings, the skin, lungs and throat. It wasn't until 1981 that the difference between retinol A directly available from liver and milk and beta carotene converted into retinol A by the body available from carrots, sweet potatoes, orange squash, kale and spinach was discovered. In several experiments conducted, the vitamin A contained in liver and milk were found to be ineffective and that it was actually the beta carotene which is an antioxidant was the true worker with cell differentiation.

As you already know in Macrobiotics, whole foods and many cultures around the world we do not peel carrots or sweet potato's. The vegetables are rinsed and given a light scrub with a natural bristle vegetables brush ensuring that the highest concentration of nutrients found in the skin are also consumed. In macrobiotic philosophy the skin of vegetables relates back to our own skin and whilst orange vegetables tonify the yang of the spleen, they also nourish the yin of the lungs. The condition of the lungs are reflected by the quality of our skin and our body hair. Dry hair is a yin deficiency and a gluggy, greasy skin is too much greasy, mucous forming food being consumed.