Wow, where did the whole of spring go since my last post?
Well, we've had a member of staff off sick and new recruit to train, and as is often the case around the start of the new financial year, lots and lots of new work to do.
We've taken over all the local branches of a national chain of restaurants in Dorset and Hampshire, plus a very nice new restaurant in central Bournemouth, not to mention several new offices.
So sadly, blogging has taken a back seat.
Anyway, so a press cutting about some RHS research has been sat in my tray since back then and I now have time to
post a link to it, and reprint the text below:
The prescription for a
healthy life? A house plant! Indoor greenery boosts mood, reduces stress and
cleans the air around us
·
Indoor plants improve our mental and physical
health, experts claim
·
Workers are more productive when their office is
filled with greenery
·
And hospital patients tolerate pain better if there
is a plant on the ward
You may not need to pull on your wellies to get the best out of nature -
the house plant on your windowsill might already be giving you a boost.
Indoor plants improve our mental and physical health, experts claim.
City dwellers today spend an average 90 per cent of their time indoors -
but experts from the Royal Horticultural Society say that ‘bringing the
outdoors inside’ can offer some of the benefits that are lost by retreating
indoors.
Plants reduce stress levels, improve mood and filter polluted air, they
say.
A review of the scientific evidence suggests that workers are more
productive when their office is filled with greenery, and hospital patients
even tolerate pain better if there is a plant on the ward.
Perhaps most importantly, plants also trap and filter pollutants that
are linked to thousands of deaths a year.+2
RHS principal horticultural advisor, Leigh Hunt, one of the authors of
the paper, said that even common houseplants will do the trick.
As long as they can withstand shade and fluctuating temperatures - and
are attractive to the eye - most plants will give people a benefit.
Mr Hunt said: ‘A spider plant is a good choice, or even common English
ivy - anything that will survive indoors is a good choice.
‘We know that plants are calming, but there is also a lot of evidence
that they are beneficial to human health.’
The best-known advantage of indoor plants is psychological, the RHS
scientists said.
The presence of plants reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue.
Writing in the The Plantsman horticultural journal, the scientists said:
‘Indoor plants can also elicit a number of physical health benefits, including
the removal of airborne pollutants, both particulate and gaseous, which lead to
better indoor air quality and associated improvements in physical health.’
A major study published by the Royal College of Physicians this week
estimated that indoor air pollution contributes to 99,000 deaths in Europe
every year.
Everyday kitchen products, faulty boilers, fly spray, air fresheners,
deodorants and cleaning products contribute to poor indoor air quality in
almost every home.
This causes eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, skin conditions
and breathing problems.
A study by Nasa scientists found that plants absorb and break down the
most harmful of these chemicals through their leaves, to create a healthy
indoor eco-system.
Just three plants in a room can vastly improve the air in the room, the
Nasa team found.
The RHS scientists said that plants can also improve mental facilities -
including reaction time and concentration.
They pointed to a Washington State University study which found that the
presence of plants in the room increased speed of reaction in a computer task
by 12 per cent.
Greenery was also found to reduce students’ blood pressure and increase
attention span.
And a Kansas State University in 2008 found that hospital patients
treated with plants in the room required lower levels of painkillers.
The RHS team concluded: ‘Research to date shows that indoor plants
clearly have a number of benefits for the occupants – they include psychological
as well physical, with low rates of any adverse reactions.
‘As placing indoor plants in rooms is one of the simplest changes that
can be made to enhance the environment, it stands out as a practical and
affordable support for human health.’