Today, gardening has become a fad, and for good reasons. More than the aesthetic value, plants offer psychological and physical benefits to us. Houseplants or indoor plants are good for the health. Besides, you can grow herbs indoors and enjoy them fresh for cooking or by making some tea.
Plants Purify The Air
Plants give off oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from where they are located. So, if they are placed indoors, plants will absorb carbon emissions within the house. Carbon Monoxide is common at home. Some activities and sources of Carbon Monoxide (CO) includes burning of plastic materials, fuel-burning appliances, or attached garages such as:
- Gas Stoves
- Wood Stoves
- Clothes dryers
- Water heaters
- Furnaces or boilers
- Fireplaces, both gas, and wood-burning
- Motor vehicles
- Grills, generators, power tools, lawn equipment
- Tobacco Smoke
When you have many houseplants at home, they help eliminate harmful air toxins and freshens the air. NASA’s experiment even supports this. According to their study, 87 percent of air toxins in 24 hours are removed by air-purifying houseplants.
Houseplants Increase Positivity
Indoor greens are also good ornaments to add life to your dull office space or at home. Try to place houseplants with broader leaves into your workspace or somewhere where they can be placed without blocking the passageway or the point of sight. Greeneries indoors can help regulate humidity and increase levels of positivity. If you are inside a forest or a jungle, isn’t it relaxing? So, why not bring a jungle inside your home? You can utilize a vacant space at home to arrange your houseplants. Whenever you see greenery, it helps you feel more relaxed and calmer, which benefits your everyday mood.
Indoor Plants Help Reduce Stress Levels
A study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that indoor plants at home or at the office can make one feel more comfortable and soothed.
Participants of indoor gardening that they have studied revealed that gardening indoor has lowered the stress response among participants. On the other hand, a computer task had increased heart rate and blood pressure, although the participants were young men well-accustomed to computerized work.
Researchers, therefore, concluded that working with plants significantly reduces both physiological and psychological stress.
Houseplants Sharpen Attention
There were 23 participants in a study wherein they were put inside a classroom with either an artificial plant, a real one, a photograph of a plant, or no plant at all. The experiment yielded a result that students who studied with live plants were more attentive and were more able to concentrate than students in the other groups.
Plants can be Therapeutic
People under quarantine and lockdowns due to a pandemic find gardening as alternative stress and anxiety reliever. It’s also an alternative recreational activity for those who have a mental illness. In addition, some researchers use horticultural therapy to increase feelings of well-being among people with anxiety, depression, dementia, and other similar mental conditions.
Plants help Speed up Recovery from an Illness
A review of the research revealed that people recovering from several kinds of surgery looking at greenery during their recovery periods need less pain medication and shorter hospital stays than those who weren’t.
Looking at the plants can speed up recovery from an illness, injury, or surgery. Just note that most research focuses on plants and natural scenery in hospital settings rather than at home.
Plants can Improve Overall Outlook Towards Work
A relaxing environment, including the role of indoor plants, can improve an employee’s job satisfaction. In a survey conducted among 440 Amazon employees in India and the United States, those whose office environment features natural elements like greenery or indoor plants experience greater satisfaction with their job than those who didn’t work around natural elements. In addition, according to researchers, natural elements help buffer the effects of job stress and anxiety.
There are varieties of houseplants you can choose to decorate your home or office space. There are hanging greenery, succulents, palms, pothos, monstera, and more.
If you wish to grow and care for houseplants to freshen the air naturally, these are several of the species shown to be most effective:
Bamboo Palm
Boston fern
Chinese Evergreen
English Ivy
Ficus tree
Philodendron
Rubber tree
Spider plant
INDOOR PLANTS DANGEROUS TO CHILDREN AND PETS
Another consideration when buying or taking care of houseplants is the safety of pets and children. Make sure you research about the plants that you plan to purchase. There are some toxic plants containing parts that are poisonous and other parts that are perfectly safe.
Here are some houseplants that are dangerous to children and pets:
Amaryllis
Aloe vera
Azalea
Chrysanthemums
Cyclamen
Dieffenbachia
English ivy
Jade
Jonquils
Varieties of Lilies
Mistletoe
Monstera deliciosa
Philodendron
Poinsettias
Pothos
Sago palm
Umbrella plant