kind2creatures
...elusive dreamer
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2009
- Location
- USA
Green plants enliven our homes, providing color and texture to soften living spaces. This kind of “green living” is increasing in popularity as science catches up with what gardeners have known all along—plants can help keep you healthy, make you happy and boost your creativity.
“Growing plants have a calming effect that can help lower blood pressure, reduce levels of stress hormones and keep heart rate at a healthy level,” says Bruno Cortis, MD, cardiologist and assistant professor of Medicine at Rush University in Chicago.
This explains why it’s not just for aesthetic purposes that commercial buildings often include living plants in their designs and that interior decorators recommend including as many plants as space allows in your home décor. Fortunately, it doesn’t take a super-green thumb to grow many species indoors.
Living Air Filters
Almost every residential or commercial space contains air contaminants. They include ammonia (household cleaning products, photocopiers, printers), formaldehyde (carpets, draperies, some furniture, paper towels, gas stoves), benzene (printer ink, paints, floor coverings) and xylene (caulking compounds, paints, wall coverings).
A landmark study conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the 1980s tested 50 houseplants for their ability to remove various toxic gases from the air in enclosed spaces, similar to those found in energy-efficient homes.
Researchers discovered that common species could remove up to 87% of airborne toxins in a 24-hour period. During the process of taking in oxygen from the air, plants remove harmful chemicals that can cause respiratory problems, headaches, drowsiness and irritated eyes.
Read more here: https://energytimes.com/pages/departments/1013/earthmatters1013.html
