I love plants. So much so that Paula dubbed me the Botanical Pharmacist, which sums me up perfectly. Healing with nature. But healing doesn’t have to be just herbal medicine. Being in nature is very therapeutic and green therapy or forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) has been prescribed by Japanese doctors for depression since the 1980s. Since then scientists have found the chemicals and hormones produced by plants have tangible benefits to our health and it’s now common knowledge that plants are crucial in combating global warming and in ensuring the survival of our planet. Green is also the heart chakra (energy point in Sanskrit) and represents love, connections with others and peace. Where would we be without these? We can’t live in the forest 24/7 but we can bring nature indoors with house plants. Don’t underestimate these little fellas. House plants are more than an interior design feature. They are natural air purifiers and are good for your health. They help mop up toxins from indoor pollutants (such as cleaning products, synthetic air fresheners) and during the day they breathe out oxygen into the air helping you stay alert. At night they produce carbon dioxide, so best keep them out of bedrooms. NASA even launched a collection of house plants into space to see which were the best air purifiers for their spaceships. Spider plants came out high as a toxic sponge but other studies have given the peace lily and fern brownie (or green!) points too. If you do one thing for your health today, it’s to go out and get an indoor plant. But don’t get too hung up about which one to get. Choose one that takes your fancy, it can be as flouncy a maiden’s hair fern or as spiky as a cactus. It will be a great friend. It’s a good listener too! Fawz Farhan, the Botanical Pharmacist and the founder of the All Being Well Project, is a wellbeing coach and registered pharmacist with a specialist interest in nature-inspired health. She regularly runs her workshops and walks in South East London where her mission is to empower people in self care through a mix of nature, nurture and science. IG @thebotanicalpharmacist FB @allbeingwellproject www.thebotanicalpharmacist.co.uk
3 Comments
12/22/2022 10:45:11 am
Family conflict affects everyone. If there is an ongoing dispute between family members, you may want to mediate to make everyone's lives easier. It's worth it to try to smooth things over.
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12/22/2022 10:50:29 am
This way, you will have a more stable family situation moving forward.
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12/22/2022 10:50:54 am
Let everyone share their point of view. Try to move forward in the spirit of forgiveness.
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AuthorPaula is an avid writer and enjoys working with food and words. Archives
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