Houseplants for Health
Last week I talked about how flowers, either in edible form, the presence of cut stems and even ‘floral mindfulness’, can aid both our mental and physical health. Today, I wanted to shout out about house plants, which you can barely go 10 mins on Instagram without seeing. When shopping for a plant child, aesthetic and low maintenance might be at the forefront of your mind. A nice looking plant is great, but a nice looking plant that quietly works its magic in the background on your health as you go about your regular routine is even better. Good health depends on more than just diet and exercise. Without a doubt your environment affects your health too, and the right houseplant can actually make a big difference in your mood, your stress level, your sleep quality and even your breathing.
Here are my top plants to spruce up your living room whilst also clearing out your mind and body too:
LAVENDER - Not only is it easy on the eye and smells divine, it’s also used for many essential oils. Not necessarily consider to be a houseplant, lavender can be grown inside your kitchen or outside in a window box so the smell will seem to follow you everywhere. If you place this plant in your bedroom, it’s shown to help you sleep, as it soothes anxiety, stress, restlessness and depression. Keep it in a bright area and be sure not to overwater your plant or it’ll die pretty quick.
ENGLISH IVY - Probably not your go-to houseplant, due to it not being the most friendly for pets and children. However it’s a power plant when it comes to getting toxins out of your air. Ivy is known to remove up to 94 percent of airborne mould particles that can trigger allergies, and, if put in your bedroom, will help relieve symptoms of asthma, so you can get a good nights sleep. Another plant that loves sunny areas and dry oil which means low maintenance - perfect.
BOSTON FERN - Also known as a natural humidifier, boston ferns are known to be one of the best air purifying plants out there, all while also tackling harmful toxins. They take all the stuff you don’t want from the air, and turn it into something it can use for survival. Because of this, boston ferns have been known to help people with dry skin conditions too, as they help recycle moisture back into the air. Famously easy to grow, boston ferns love to have moist soil at all times so keep these guys in either your kitchen or bathroom, as long as it doesn’t get too hot!
ALOE VERA - Easy to care for but also known as a healer plant, aloe vera is one of the most commercially used plants to treat a number of ailments. It not only purifies the air from harmful toxins such as formaldehyde and benzene, but if you break off one of the leaves and opens it up, it’s gel can be automatically applied to your body. It has anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, so can be used on skin conditions such as burns (including sunburn), frost bite, eczema and minor cuts. To top it all off, it needs very little care - it likes to be watered very infrequently and kept in a warm and sunny location. A literal wonder plant.
SPIDER PLANT - A very popular plant, the spider plant, like many we’ve mentioned in this post already, has amazing air purifying qualities that make them both practical and pretty. It helps filter out carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, and they’re super easy to look after too. It can be in a medium sunny area and just needs it’s soil to be moist, and it’ll be happy. It’s also animal friendly - thank goodness!
SANSEVIERIA A.K.A SNAKE PLANT - Perfect for your bedroom, this low maintenance baby helps take carbon dioxide and converts it into oxygen whilst you sleep, so you’ll be napping easier knowing you’re breathing in that good air. Besides that amazing use, it's a low-maintenance plant that's known for surviving droughts, making it perfect for newbies living in almost any environment. And when you water them less, they seem to grow and thrive better! Absolute babe.
PEACE LILY - Another flowering plant that adds a gorgeous touch to any home. Not for the novices out there, this plant takes a little more TLC than it’s predecessors in this list. If you want your home’s energy and flow neutralised, peace lilies are the one for you, as they not only remove removes ammonia, benzene, formaldehyde, and trichloroethylene, like the snake plant, they release oxygen at night to help you breathe deeper. It’s also believed to help people flourish mentally, physically, and spiritually. However, with a pollen filled flower, it might not work if you’re known to have allergies. To keep these guys happy, keeping it moist without over-watering and placing it in a bright but shady spot will do the trick. To top it all off, peace lilies symbolise peace, tranquility, prosperity, purification, and solitude - perfect for your little oasis.
RUBBER PLANT - If you’re new to being a plant parent, then a rubber plant might be the best first born you could have. They can endure a lot of neglect, handling under watering better than over watering. However, it does need it’s own space to really thrive, and take all those nasty toxins from the air to convert into nutrients or compounds for itself. It’s okay, we all need some alone time sometimes.
MONSTERA A.K.A CHEESE PLANT - Probably the spokesperson for the houseplant revival, the monstera plant is one of the most popular plants for homeowners to have. They help care for you by air purifying, keeping humidity levels up (so as mentioned before, this will help those with dry skin conditions) and also are great for grabbing dust that might be falling elsewhere, so you only need to dust one plant instead of 50 surfaces! With how big and green their leaves are known to be, they’ll help you feel invigorated, happy and alert, so perfect for wherever your lockdown office may be! You just need to give these guys a good amount of sun, a good daily misting and wait until the top few inches of soil are completely dried out before topping up. It’s a speedy grower and easy pleaser, that looks after you as much as you’ll look after it.