Search this site »

Green houseplants can reduce stress, fight toxins and boost creativity

Posted by Southern Botanical, Inc. in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX on Mar 05, 2010

Here is continued information from the slide show linked from the Green Plants for Green Buildings website that talks about how green houseplants can reduce stress, fight toxins and even boost creativity: Pots of Health – Green Your Home by Marissa Conrad published by Prevention Magazine.

Plants to Cut Exposure to Harmful Chemicals

Janet Craig
When houseplants take in oxygen and carbon dioxide, they also pull in VOCs, toxins that are released by cleaning supplies, printers, and other household items. Three Janet Craig plants cut VOCs in a 130-square foot room by up to 70%, finds research from the University of Technology in Australia.

Sweet Chico
Six Sweet Chico plants, a smaller table-size peace lily, have the same toxin-reducing effect as floor-standing Janet Craig plants, according to Australian research. Try trucking two into one larger pot.

Kentia Palm
The Kentia palm breathes in toxins effectively, cutting VOC levels – toxins that are released by cleaning supplies, printer, and other household items – from a home, according to a study from the University of Technology.

Plants to Boost Your Creativity

Strawberry Begonia
In a study from Texas A&M University, women who worked in a room decorated with two potted plants and a bouquet of flowers generated 13% more ideas than women in a room with abstract sculptures. Studies show that houseplants are a mood booster, and good moods are associated with higher levels of dopamine, the hormone that controls the flow of information throughout the brain. The type of green plant doesn’t matter as much as the fact that you have a green plant, says Dr. Jerry Williams, a horticulture professor at Virginia Polytechnic Institute who specializes in houseplant studies. Try a strawberry begonia, which has beautiful leaves.

Spider Plant
One of the easiest houseplants to care for is the spider plant. Add a spider plant to your home office to spark that creative energy.

Corn Plant
Women who took a creative word-matching text in a room with greenery including a corn plant performed better than women in a plant-free room, finds a study from the Scandinavian Journal of Physchology.