While 2020 has been an incredibly stressful year for most of us, it isn’t the first time any of us have struggled with mental health issues. From work to family to money, life always gives us reasons to feel stressed and anxious. But plants can help!
Caring for plants and spending time in green spaces has shown many positive benefits to people’s mental health. Let’s look at five plants with properties that help fight stress, depression, and anxiety.
Chamomile
There’s a reason why chamomile tea is one of the drinks most associated with relaxation and bedtime. Chamomile has long been known for its anti-anxiety qualities and calming effect, making it an obvious choice to grow at home.
What’s really cool is that if you don’t have any seeds, you can open any unused chamomile tea bags sitting in your cupboard to grow your own flowers. Just tear the tea bag open, pour it over the soil, and water it!
Aloe Vera
Who hasn’t used aloe on a sunburn at one time or another? The mental health benefits of the plant itself are less well known.
While you can purchase aloe in a bottle, the plant itself has benefits that make it worth growing in your house. Including the fact that the plant can remove chemicals and purify the air we breathe, which, in turn, can help reduce feelings of anxiety.
For those not blessed with any green thumb, the aloe plant is quite robust and rugged and one of the easiest to grow and keep alive.
Jasmine
Jasmine is one of the primary plants used in perfumes. However, the pretty smell is only a small part of the benefits these little white flowers provide.
Jasmine is a well-known aphrodisiac, and in India, Jasmine oil has been used to improve libido for hundreds of years. And as if that wasn’t enough, the plant’s ability to relieve anxiety makes it a nice one to have near your bed when you sleep. One study found that the smell of Jasmine can be as soothing as Valium.
English Ivy
According to the American Lung Association, the air indoors can be more polluted than the air outside your home. Mold, radon, and formaldehyde are just a few of the toxins polluting our indoor air.
The value of clean air, free of toxins, can’t be mentioned enough when it comes to the impact on one’s health, which can also relieve anxiety. And when it comes to naturally cleansing the air in your home, English Ivy is one of the best choices you can make.
A study by NASA indicated that English Ivy effectively removes benzene, formaldehyde, trichloroethylene, and xylene from the air. The study recommends one air-purifying plant per 100 square feet of living space.
Lavender
Anyone at all familiar with aromatherapy will know about lavender and the mental health benefits it can provide. The plant has been used to calm babies, and doctors have been prescribing it to patients with elevated stress and anxiety levels for years.
This is another great plant to have by your bedside, but don’t forget about the bathroom. When you shower, the steam will interact with the plant, and wonderful smells should fill the room (which isn’t always the case for bathrooms and smells, am I right?).
Not to mention the beautiful purple coloring is an excellent addition to any indoor planter and adds plenty of visual appeal to a room as well. And while lavender is generally grown outdoors, it can be grown inside, with enough care and sunlight.