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Non Pharmacological Use of Daucus Carota Juice (Carrot Juice) as Dietary Intervention in Reducing Hypertension

Sana Sarfaraz, Najaf Farooq, Nida Ashraf, Ayesha Aslam and Ghulam Sarwar

Introduction: Fruits and vegetables are important constituent of daily life. They contain variety of vitamins and anti-oxidants and are rich source of carbohydrates and proteins. Recently studies are being conducted to evaluate their therapeutic potential. Objective: The present study has been conducted to evaluate the consumption of carrot by laymen, awareness regarding its composition and benefits. An experimental study was also conducted to evaluate the diuretic activity of Daucus carota juice. Methodology: A cross sectional survey was conducted comprising of N=200 individuals both males and females belonging to age group 18-55 years from different universities and locations in Karachi. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate awareness in population regarding carrots benefit, composition and use. Experimental study consisted of six mice which were taken into three groups and were marked as Control, standard and Test. Control group received same quantity of water as test. Standard group received furosemide 40 mg/70 kg, while test group received pure carrot juice in two different doses 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg. Metabolic cage was used in order to evaluate the diuretic activity. Result: Survey shows 40% layman consume carrot weekly, 75% people thought it could be used as nonpharmacological therapy for improving eyesight. 24% laymen thought it could lower the blood pressure. 51% population knew it was a good source of potassium and 71% knew it was rich source of vitamin A. Our experimental results showed that mice which were administered carrot juice at dose of 400 mg/kg urinated 0.9 ml in 24 hours which is almost equal to the standard diuretic drug furosemide 1 ml in 24 hours. Conclusion: We came to the conclusion that majority of the population of Karachi consumes carrot but does not have information regarding its use as diuretic that can be beneficial in reducing blood pressure.