The Health Benefits of Indoor Plants

Humans and plants have shared a long symbiotic relationship, with respiration as one of the most important elements of this interdependent relationship—we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide while plants take in in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Besides sharing the air we breathe, plants have also provided humans with food and essential nutrients, protection from the elements, clothing, dyes, tools, medicines, building materials for shelter, and numerous cultural and spiritual aids. Plants are truly our life partners.

Currently, there are over 400,000 known plant species on our planet and roughly 400 total trees for one human, and though there remains an interdependent relationship between humans and plants, our coexistence has changed drastically in modern times as we are experiencing an additional degree of separation from plants and Nature. Homes and workspaces, in general, trend towards increasingly unnatural spaces with less surrounding greenery; whereas, ancient dwellings and homes in the recent past were deeply connected to and intertwined with the surrounding natural environment. Because of this shift and our tendency to spend more time indoors, it’s now more important than ever that we bring Nature indoors to reap the many benefits of plants.

Connecting with Nature through plants can happen in your home and workspace by bringing beautiful, natural plants indoors. Indoor plants are not only good for your overall internal well-being, but they can also improve the environment around you. Below are five ways that indoor plants make us happier and healthier:

1. Plants Increase Oxygen Plants create oxygen during photosynthesis. This natural process essentially helps us breathe in fresh oxygen released by plants. Plants, in turn, use carbon dioxide we breathe out and convert it into sugars that will help them grow.
2. Plants Remove Airborne Contaminates Indoor environments are filled with volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are off-gassed chemicals from industrial cleaners, beauty products, and building materials such as carpet and paint. VOCs permeate the air, contributing to poor indoor air quality and serious health effects such as asthma and cancer. Most plants have a natural filtration system that removes air pollutants (e.g., ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene) and produces cleaner air for us to breathe.
3. Plants Release Water Vapor Through a process known as transpiration, plants release evaporated water from their leaves, helping to balance humidity levels indoors.
4. Plants Promote Healing Studies show that plants do indeed have therapeutic value. For example, by simply looking at decorative plants in their hospital rooms, patients recovering from surgery were reported to have lower blood pressure and less pain, anxiety, and distress.
5. Plants Improve Mental and Physical Health Most of us experience a fast-paced life with more demands, stress, and anxiety. Research shows a correlation with poorly ventilated home and work environments, less natural light through windows, spaces with fewer plants, and increased unnatural, artificial lighting to worsened health outcomes and is otherwise known as Sick Building Syndrome. The same research revealed a positive upswing in mood, creativity, memory retention, problem-solving, and improved health when indoor plants were introduced into the home or office spaces, along with bringing in more natural light through windows.

Wiseman Health Take-Home Advice

• Fill your house and workspace with multiple indoor plants to maximize their benefits —at least one plant for every 100 square feet is a good rule of thumb. Maximize the number of plants in your sleeping environment due to the synergistic and recuperative elements tied to healthy sleep.
• Though most indoor plants are beneficial, some plants are better living air purifiers. NASA conducted extensive research on the best air-filtering plants and some of the top plants they recommend to help remove airborne toxins and irritants are aloe vera, pothos, lilyturf, the philodendron heartleaf, Queen fern, rubber tree, spider plant, bamboo palm, snake plant, weeping fig tree, variegated snake plant, bromeliad, red-edge dracaena, peace lily, calathea pinstripe, gerbera daisy, and English ivy.
• For areas that have little to no light and when natural plants will not be able to survive, use artificial plants. Artificial plants, when needed, can have positive effects on your subconscious and psychology. So long as these artificial plants appear natural and lifelike, they can give the feeling that you are in Nature.
• When indoors during the day, make sure all window coverings are open so that you maximize natural light and outdoor visual exposure. Spend more time in rooms with windows, and when possible, open windows to maximize natural air exposure.
• Decorate your interior spaces with natural-themed art and pictures of Nature, such as trees, flowers, and mountains, to enhance a more natural space.
• When needed, utilize the expertise of a professional plant expert, such as a plant nursery, and specifically one that specializes in holistic natural plant care.
• Though indoor plants are a wonderful way to bring Nature indoors, don’t forget to enjoy the gold standard: Nature outdoors.
• Tending to and caring for plants is ultimately a spiritual practice. Caring for something outside of yourself and for one that ultimately depends on you for its survival is the highest form of empathy, and the process of taking care of plants can cultivate our capacity for gratitude, empathy, and love. Taking care of an indoor plant is also a great way for children to exercise their emotional intelligence as they grow.
• Though indoor plants are a great way to connect Nature to your living and workspaces, there are many more techniques and approaches. Read more about biophilic design for interior decorating and building design.

“Plants give us oxygen for the lungs and for the soul.”

Watch our Wiseman Health video on how to create a garden in any space: Urban Gardening with Wiseman Family Practice.