Beautiful AND Beneficial to your health!

Tap water, varnishes, cleaners, and paints. These are only a few things that can contain volatile organic compounds (VOC's). They are pollutants found in most of our homes, schools, and offices.

I always forget about this one amazing way to purify the air. They benefit our bodies, and they're pretty. Win....win!

House plants.


Scientific studies have shown that air qualities in homes, schools, and office's improve with the presence of plants! They are so powerful, that they have been proven to remove VOC's. Rock on.

Plants can increase oxygen levels, and bring moisture into the air. They are said to help with respiratory issues, colds, dry coughs, even dry skin! (Study from Agricultural University in Norway).

The Royal College of Agriculture in England showed that students who were taught in rooms with plants had a much greater attentiveness than students who did not have plants present.

An even more amazing Dutch study showed that adding plants to a patients hospital room helped them heal faster than those who did not have plants present. Rock on even more! 

NASA Scientists have shown that certain plants have been proven to absorb toxins like radon, formaldehyde, and a handful of others. (http://journals.usamvcj.ro/agricultural).

Thanks to the BayerAdvanced website, they listed some of the best plants to have indoors:

Best Plants for Indoor Use

Common Name	Latin Name	Benefit	Best Use
Spider plant	Chlorophytum comosum	Purifies air rapidly; removes formaldehyde	Living spaces
Dragon tree1	Dracaena marginata	Purifies air; removes formaldehyde, benzene, toluene and xylene	Living spaces
Gerbera daisy2	Gerbera jamesonii	Releases oxygen at night; purifies air by removing benzene and trichloroethylene	Bedrooms to refresh nighttime air or living spaces
English ivy	Hedera helix	Removes benzene from air	Dorm rooms or home office
Boston fern	Nephrolepis exaltata‘Bostoniensis’	Humidifies air	Living spaces; note that dry winter rooms can quickly kill Boston ferns; mist plants daily for best results
Philodendron3	Philodendron	Purifies air; removes formaldehyde	Living spaces of new or renovated homes with new floors, walls, carpets, etc.
Snake plant	Sansevieria trifasciata	Purifies air; removes formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide produced by fuel-burning appliances	Living spaces, kitchens, rooms with wood stoves
Peace lily	Spathiphyllum	Removes mold from air	Bathrooms or damp areas of home

Okay, so who wants a plant? Or two? Or maybe you noticed some amazing health benefits from having a plant or two around? I'd love to hear about it.

Fern's are a great option for homes with cats/dogs and young children because many of them are non-toxic.

I think it's time I admit, I have a silly artificial plant from HomeSense in my living room. I fear I can't keep multiple plants alive, so I only have 1 plant that's real.  After doing some research, I think I better add to the "real" collection. What do I have to lose? It's going to look pretty anyway.


Til next time, stay healthy ya'll!

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References

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903163949.htm


http://www.bayeradvanced.com/articles/5-benefits-of-houseplants

http://www.prevention.com/houseplants/

http://journals.usamvcj.ro/agricultura/article/view/8127/0