Plants and their therapeutic value

Have you ever felt the urge to care and give back to nature? Remember when our parents used to give us the instructions to go and water the plants / tend to the lawns. A seemingly mundane activity more often than not , became a fun enjoyable activity to pass time.

It seems plants (of all kinds) , are a great sense of therapy for one's soul. Active research has found that there is a co-relation between health , well being and quality of life with human interaction with plants. Knowingly or unknowingly, working with plants not only gives a sense of responsibility but it also a great sense of recreational activity - bringing much needed positivity. Along with this pleasure of nurturing nature, nature does give you back in the form of vegetables or fruits.

Plants enter the human psyche through observation and participation. Your front / back yard or indoor plants play an important role on your subconscious mind by reducing stress, promoting peace / tranquility, enhanced self-esteem and in some cases even a sense of mastery of the environment.

Must say our affinity for nature must be springing from our evolution. The times when we were foragers and gatherers. Increased social activities by foraging for food and medicines helped in building a sense of community and a desire to overcome adversity. This has passed on in our DNA, and that is the reason we have an innate desire to visit and be closer to nature over urban scenes any given day.

Unruh a researcher based in Canada studied around 42 men and women to compare the meaning of gardening for people with cancer and people without cancer. He concluded that the meaning of gardening in daily life was diverse and dependent on individual interests, past experiences and current circumstances. The study revealed that gardening can be a possible coping strategy for stressful life experiences and can be beneficial for overall well being. Taking care of natural surroundings enhances physical activity, reduces stress and improves social cohesion.

Not only do plants affect positively in your home surroundings, but they have a great benefit in your working environment too. An exposure to plants in the office can lead to positive effects on cognitive functioning , attention recovery , reduction of fatigue and stress along with increased productivity.

I on the other hand had always been at the receiving end of instructions from my mother and grandmother growing up, to ensure to water our garden regularly. We had a nice Gauva tree and Sarasa Asoca tree in our front yard, along with around 80-90 other plants. I always thought it is too cumbersome an activity and would be too boring while growing up at home.

Surprisingly enough around 4-5 years back when I moved to a new apartment after marriage, I too somehow longed the need to create my own heavenly garden! Call it Karma, I am a plant mother now to almost 10-15 varieties of plants. And yes, me and my husband love to spend time however we can tending to our garden and feeling a sense of calm inside now.

So you see, there is some truth there - in all the research and studies. Hope I can motivate and inspire someone to nurture nature in any way possible!

Cheers.