The 8 Best Indoor Plants for Mental Health, Say Wellness Experts : The rise in popularity of gardening and houseplant collections on social media can be attributed to several key factors. Since there has been so much anxiety in the world lately, psychotherapist Jamie Keaton Jones, LICSW, PhD, an adjunct professor in Washington, DC, says that caring for plants has become a hobby that helps many people focus on the good while feeling more at ease and beautiful because they have a living thing in their spaces.
The 8 Best Indoor Plants for Mental Health, Say Wellness Experts
“Many mental health benefits, including stress reduction, depression reduction, increased sociability, focus restoration, improved cognitive function, mood enhancement, and increased self-esteem, have been found with plants and exposure to greenery,” notes Jones.
The Mental Health Benefits of Interacting With Plants
Nature, whether in a forest, a little garden, or a few houseplants, has many benefits, according to research. Dr. Jenny Seham, PhD, Attending Psychologist, Director, Empowerment Series Garden, AIM (Arts and Integrated Medicine) Montefiore Health Systems in the Bronx, NY, says a study found that hospital patients with plants reported less pain, blood pressure, fatigue, and anxiety. This how? She says plant interaction lowers cortisol, which lowers weariness, irritation, and blood pressure. Plant care and gardening might help people forget negative thoughts and feelings.
1. Snake Plant
Mustard yellow or white stripes distinguish the sword-shaped snake plant with dark green foliage. Plus, it’s great for new plant parents. Snake plants wait to simmer in the sun before dying, making them patient with new gardeners. Keith says these plants boost plant-care confidence.
2. Spider Plants
Spider plants are another low-maintenance choice with light green foliage and many leaves. “They do well with humidity and can handle varying light, but they do best with medium light,” Keith explains. People sometimes place spider plants in their bathrooms to make them cosier.
Spider plants occasionally produce young plants that can be picked and potted. For a plant that keeps providing, choose this.
3. Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is forgiving, versatile, and useful for household use, making it a beginner’s plant. Seham explains, “Aloe vera produces a healing gel that you can use straight from the leaf.” Keith recommends keeping aloe at home for burns, cuts, and scrapes. He adds that leaf juice relieves pain and speeds injury recovery. Same for sunburn and bug bites.
4. Pothos
Pothos have waxy green, chartreuse, or variegated heart-shaped leaves and are versatile. Tyler Keith says there are many ways they can live, as they produce long vines that trail or hang from a pot and grow downward. Pothos looks great on trellises.
5. Lavender
Lavender’s calming aroma and beauty attract pollinators. Weill states it “has a calming effect, aids in stress reduction, promotes sleep and has anti-inflammatory properties when used as a topical for skin.”
This makes it ideal in the outdoors and indoors in a sunny place. If you plant it indoors, keep it in a pot near a bright window. Gardeners may use artificial growth lights to keep plants happy. Clip and dry the sprigs, then put them in a basin or sprinkle them in the bathtub.
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6. Basil
Seham says cultivating, collecting, and utilising herbs from your garden improves mental wellness. Herb care creates a pleasant sensory experience.
Sun-loving basil flavours dishes and has health advantages, says Weill. “Holy basil helps relieve stress and anxiety,” she says. The leaves have several uses and work as an adaptogen, a natural compound that helps the body adapt to stress. It enhances mental clarity.”
7. Lemon Balm
This mint-family herb is easy to grow and fragrant. “Known for its calming properties, it has a light lemony scent that can be wonderfully intensified by rubbing the leaves between your fingers,” explains Seham. This has been used to promote sleep, reduce tension and anxiety, boost appetite, and relieve indigestion.
8. Spearmint
A mint family member, spearmint grows swiftly and is hardy. “Just smelling the leaves, without even making a tea, is great for an immediate soothing effect,” Seham explains. If you grow spearmint indoors, give it lots of light. Keep it in a container or small place outdoors to avoid it taking over the garden.
