PLANTING GOOD HEALTH IN YOUR HOME
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), scientific evidence suggests the air quality within homes and other buildings can be seriously more polluted than outdoor air, even in the largest and most industrialized cities.
Research indicates people spend approximately 90 per cent of their time indoors. Thus, for many, the risks to one’s health from exposure to indoor air pollution may be greater than the risk from outdoor air pollution.
When it comes to keeping your air breathable at home and at work, it really is rocket science. According to NASA researchers studying what it would take for humans to travel to other planets, you need at least one indoor plant for every 100 square feet. Plants naturally filter the air of chemicals and other toxins linked to health problems, such as headaches and eye irritation. For example, every 24 hours, plants remove up to 87 per cent of indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that otherwise tend to get trapped inside today’s airtight, climatecontrolled buildings. NASA’s research found plants purify the trapped air by pulling contaminants into the soil, where microorganisms convert VOCs into food for the plant.
One NASA researcher, Dr. B. C. Wolverton, even went so far as to list the 50 plants best suited to purify your personal space with 11 coming from Hawaii. Hawaiian-grown, premium-quality tropical potted foliage and flowers offer an “Aloha Advantage”: They not only provide a beautiful, picturesque piece of paradise, but Hawaiian-grown plants also require less overall maintenance.
The 11 plants that make the health list are Rhapis Excelsa (Lady Palm), Chamaedorea Seifrizii (Bamboo Palm), Dracaena Janet Craig, Ficus “Alii” (“Alii” means “royal” in Hawaiian), Dracaena Fragrans (Corn Plant), Dracaena Warneckii, Dracaena Marginata (Dragon Tree), Norfolk Island Pine, Dendrobium Orchids, Anthurium, and Phalaenopsis Orchids.
These and other hearty, pretty Hawaiian plants are available at major box stores and retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe’s and Costco, and nearby nurseries and garden centres.
Houseplants have also been shown to help your health, wealth and happiness in other ways. Researchers at Kansas State University found people in hospital rooms with plants request less pain medication, have lower heart rates and blood pressure, experience less fatigue and anxiety, and were released from the hospital sooner compared to people in rooms without plants.
A Dutch study also discovered adding plants to the workplace decreases fatigue, colds, headaches, coughs, sore throats and flulike symptoms,