Phytochemicals

Flower Power Brighten Your Home with Leafy House-Plants and You Could Banish Allergies , Boost Your Immune System and Even Improve Your Sex Life

News article The Mirror (London , England , May 20 , 2004

Publication Information : Article Title : Flower Power Brighten Your Home with Leafy House-Plants and You Could Banish Allergies , Boost Your Immune System and Even Improve Your Sex Life . News Title : The Mirror . Publication Date : May 20 , 2004 . Page Number : 36 . COPYRIGHT 2004 MGN LTD COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group

Flower Power Brighten Your Home with Leafy House-Plants and You Could

Banish Allergies , Boost Your Immune System and Even Improve Your Sex Life

Byline : NATHALIE GIBBINS

IF you want to breathe cleaner air , raise your spirits or improve your performance at work , you should get down to the garden centre

New research has revealed that house-plants can make you healthy and happy - and even talking to them isn 't as daft as it seems

Here 's how a bit of indoor foliage can change your life

Beat allergies

Dr Ronald Wood , an indoor air scientist from the University of Technology , Sydney , says "Indoor plants stabilise humidity by evaporating water through their leaves "They damp down dust - a trigger for allergies - filtering airborne dust in our homes

Plants that need watering release the most moisture and hayfever sufferers needn 't miss out - wind-pollinated grasses and trees cause sneezes and sniffles , not indoor plants and cut flowers , which are mostly insect-pollinated

Detox your home

House-plants mop up chemicals leaked from gas fires , cookers and manmade materials such as paint , carpets , furniture and cleaning agents . These are toxins linked to headaches , breathing problems and even cancer

And it only takes one to three plants to clean a 100 sq ft

room "Plants act like air filters , absorbing toxic gases and pollution through leaves , roots and soil microbes " explains Dr Wood

His research shows palms and peace lilies can clean the air of volatile organic compounds (VOCs ) within 24 hours "We spend almost 90 per cent of our time inside and indoor air has been shown to be up to 100 times more polluted than outdoor air , so a few pot plants is a wise health investment " he claims

Sex it up

Scented flowers have a sedative and relaxing effect , making you ready for love . Kate Kenyon from the Flowers And Plants Association says "Fresh flower fragrances prolong sensuality due to mood-altering chemicals in their scent

Lilies are another bedroom choice "They have a good effect on the libido and their scent can boost sperm production in men " she says

Breathe easy

Large green leafers such as the Swiss

cheese plant add oxygen . House-plants release oxygen for us to breathe and absorb our carbon dioxide exhalations , which cause lethargy . And a natter with your plants will bombard them with carbon dioxide , keeping them healthy

Fight disease "Plants release phytochemicals to zap airborne toxins and germs , which protect from circulating viruses as well " says Arnoud Kwint from Plants For People , a Dutch initiative

And by increasing...