Houseplants – more than just decorations

We’re all familiar with the decorative value of indoor plants. They’re beautiful additions to a room and can help to create a sense of comfort. But we often forget to consider the role of plants in creating a healthy indoor environment. Here are 4 not very widely known factors that support adding plants indoors:

1. Plants help to fight colds. When people talk about precautionary measures which help to fight off colds, they usually mention dressing up warmly and occasionally drinking a cup of tea or two. But what about adding plants indoors? Studies show that indoor plants have the ability to reduce cold-related illnesses by more than 30%.

2. Plants eliminate indoor pollutants. Paints, varnishes, adhesives, furnishings, clothing, solvents, building materials and even tap water may all discharge volatile organic compounds (known as VOCs) that pollinate indoor air. Asthma and nausea and chronic diseases including cancer, neurologic, reproductive, developmental, and respiratory disorders are all directly linked to exposure to VOCs.

How to remove VOCs? A study carried out in University of Georgia shows that answer is pretty simple – just add ad plant or two indoors.

3. Plants can make you happy. Plants help to fight off anxiety and pessimism. A Chicago based cardiologist has observed that hospital patients who face a window with a garden view recover more quickly than those who had to look at a wall.

It’s also reported that seeing the green color of plants can have a calming effect and it can ever lower blood pressure.

4. Plants sharpen your focus. The Royal College of Agriculture in England has found that students demonstrate up to 70 percent greater attentiveness when they’re taught in rooms containing plants. It’s more than likely that the sharpening focus is connected with the air-cleaning qualities of plants.

Thinking about adding houseplants? That's the spirit!