Asides from adding aesthetic value to your home or office space, houseplants are also beneficial to our health. This makes them a great investment for everyone from green-fingered connoisseurs to interior designers and the health-conscious!
To give you some insight and provide a little inspiration, we’ve pinpointed our top five must-buy houseplants, all of which boast numerous health benefits. In fact, these benefits really should make us see these blooms as a necessity, rather than as an interior trend…
Aloe Vera
First up is Aloe Vera, which is renowned for its plentiful antibacterial properties, and its skin-loving benefits. Using it on the skin is a simple task. All you have to do is break off a stalk and rub the plant’s liquid onto your body.
This unique liquid is used across the globe to treat skin ailments such as eczema and psoriasis. This is one of the reasons Aloe Vera is a bathroom staple for many.
Of course, to reap the benefits, you must care for your Aloe plant in the correct way. If you notice brown spots, this is your plant’s way of informing you there are unwanted chemicals in the air. But what can you do to counteract this?
Start by swapping any unnatural cleaning and beauty products for natural options. Thankfully there are numerous natural products available on the market today, as more companies are catering to an audience keen to care for their wellbeing and the planet.
For best results and to ensure your Aloe plant thrives, place it in a spot that benefits from plenty of sunshine. A sun-drenched window sill is an ideal spot.
Apart from this requirement, Aloe Vera will ask a little more from you, asides from a drop of water every now and again. This means it is extremely hard to kill and therefore a great option for newbie gardeners and those who travel a lot.
Peace Lily
The Peace Lily is another popular plant for the home and one that boasts a variety of impressive health benefits. Asides from brandishing an array of beautiful flowers, this low-maintenance species is able to rid your home and office of unwanted and harmful toxins. These include formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene, and trichloroethylene!
For best results, place your peace lily in a shaded location away from direct sunlight. They are renowned for keeping dry environments moist, which makes them a good option for those wishing to up their home’s humidity levels.
One point to note though is that if you suffer from allergies, this plant may not be the best option for you as the plant’s flowers shell out both pollen and a strong scent into the air.
Spider Plant
These extremely low-maintenance plants are very easy to grow and care for, yet still offer a wealth of health benefits. Asides from adding a little greenery to your home, Spider Plants is a natural air purifier. In fact, they come backed by NASA.
A study found that Spider Plants are one of the top air-purifying plants available. This comes as little surprise considering they’re able to remove up to 90% of formaldehyde from the air!
To ensure your spider plant thrives, place it in bright sunlight. You can even gift cuttings to friends and family, who can use these to grow their own mini plants. Be careful not to overwater this bloom though, or you may find its green leaves turn a dark shade of brown.
Lucky Bamboo
If you’re looking to add style to a minimalistic home or office space and improve the air quality, the Lucky Bamboo is a great investment. This plant, which is actually a lily, poses as the perfect decorative accent and is said to boast numerous Feng Shui properties, adding a sense of wellbeing and safety to your home by creating a sense of balance.
This shrub requires a little more care than the others we have mentioned, and therefore, is often a favourite among the plant and gardening community.
To ensure it grows well, the soil must be moist at all times, and it needs to be placed in an area away from direct sunlight. If your Lucky Bamboo’s leaves start to change to a shade of brown, it’s an indication that it’s had too much sunshine.
Snake Plant
Another great houseplant, the Snake Plant is an ideal option for the bedroom. Why do we hear you ask? It emits oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide while you get your beauty sleep! This means you can relax knowing you are breathing clean air at night.
Snake Plants are renowned for removing toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene, and trichloroethylene – all of which can be harmful to our health.
The benefits of investing in the above plants
They help us to breathe
When it comes to breathing cleaner air, plants are our go-to companions. Throughout photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, whilst increasing their oxygen levels. This is something our bodies highly appreciate.
They deter illnesses
In nature, plant roots invest in the groundwater table to source water. This then evaporates via their leaves. This process is known as transpiration and accounts for around 10% of the atmosphere’s moisture.
Exactly the same thing happens in the office or at home (just without the groundwater). This has the effect of heightening humidity indoors. This is extremely beneficial during warmer, moist months, and especially to those who live in hotter climates.
When we bring our green friends into our homes, they have the ability to decrease the impact of dry skin, sore throats, colds, and dry coughs. They can also help to prevent the transmission of the flu virus.
They purify the air
NASA has spent a great deal of time researching the air quality in closed environments, such as in spacecraft. High-level research conducted by the agency led to the discovery of the ability of numerous plants to purify the air indoors.
Both a plant’s roots and its leaves are utilized when it comes to ridding the air of toxins, even in tightly sealed buildings. These toxins include chemicals such as formaldehyde and carbon monoxide.
Sources: aconsciouscollection.com, treehugger.com
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