Doctors Are Now Prescribing Houseplants for Anxiety and Depression
Thanks to science we now know that nature is basically a wonder drug. Spending time outside helps hospital patients recover faster, eases depression and anxiety, boosts the immune system, reduces blood pressure, and even increases happiness. The only trouble with trees is that it is impossible to prescribe in pill form.
But while you can’t shrink a tree to the size of a prescription bottle, you can miniaturize nature in the form of potted plants. And for certain patients, British doctors feel that’s a great place to start. Some are actually prescribing houseplants to those suffering from anxiety and depression to help lessen their symptoms.
Rx: Get a couple of houseplants and call me in the morning.
A family medicine practice in urban Manchester “is prescribing plants to help people with anxiety, depression and loneliness,” explains Metro’s Laura Abernethy (hat tip to Treehugger). “The idea is that patients get herbs, veg and pot plants [this has nothing to do with medical marijuana; she is referring to what we in the U.S. call potted plants] to care for and they then bring it back to the surgery to transfer it to the communal garden.”
“The new scheme — believed to be a first in the country — gives patients a chance…
