Good nature : why seeing, smelling, hearing, and touching plants is good for our health / Katherine Willis

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Willis, K. J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Nature, Healing power of.

Naturopathy.

Nature--Therapeutic use.

Nature.

Human beings--Effect of environment on.

Human beings.

Outdoor recreation--Psychological aspects.

Outdoor recreation.

Plants--Odor--Therapeutic use.

Plants.

Medical Subjects:

Naturopathy.

Physical Description:

325 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : chiefly color illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Pegasus Books cloth edition.

Other Title:

Why seeing, smelling, hearing, and touching plants is good for our health

Place of Publication:

New York : Pegasus Books, 2024

Summary:

"Good Nature reveals how, if we bring nature more into our lives, it can help improve our health and well-being in so many unexpected ways. Oxford professor Kathy Willis has spent her career researching fossilised plants and plant matter - but when she stumbled across a study that showed that patients recovering from surgery improved faster just by being able to see trees from their hospital bed, it radically changed the way she viewed the natural world. Professor Willis has since embarked on a process of discovery to find the research that has shown, time and time again, that there is a causal link between plants in our lives, both indoors and outside, and better physical and mental health. Consulting plant scientists and biologists, medical practitioners and psychiatrists, city planners and government health authorities, she encourages us to transform how we design and inhabit our environments. There are simple changes we can all make in our homes: for example, the scent of rosemary will make you more awake; green-and-yellow-leaved houseplants are the best at reducing stress; and touching and stroking untreated wooden surfaces can lower our blood pressure. But we can also think on a much grander scale: prescribing more nature in streets, offices and our homes will not only save money but improve the health of us all. Focusing on how we interact with nature through the senses of sight, smell, hearing and touch, Good Nature explains how we can organize our homes, our time outdoors and the world around us to reap the health benefits of nature that science is only now just discovering"-- Publisher's description.

Contents:

Introduction

Green horizons: why the view matters

Why green is good for us, and not just in what we eat

Flower power

The sweet smell of success: protective plant perfumes

Sound surgery: from birdsong to rustling leaves

The proven health benefits of tree-hugging

Hidden senses

Indoor sensescapes: 'A garden within doores'

Outdoor sensescapes: the power of a short walk

Digging for health

Prescribing nature: for self, health and wealth.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1639367640

9781639367641

OCLC:

1420429511