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By Dann McNulty – mindbodygreen.com
Plants are a powerhouse of wellness for your home. They'll provide you with a host of benefits, and they'll make your house look great while doing it. I’ll admit, I’ve been kind of obsessed with this idea lately, and I think you’ll find the concept intriguing as well after learning about the myriad benefits they offer.
Did you know NASA uses plants on the International Space Station to help with air quality? Certain species purify the air of toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and more. In order to do this efficiently, the researchers at NASA recommend at least one plant per 100 square feet of home or office space.
Imagine picking stevia leaves right off the stem, enjoying a fresh avocado for breakfast, or making a drink with limes and mint leaves that were grown right in your kitchen. A fully fruited lemon tree at a party would probably make for quite the conversation piece as well. There are some things you just won’t find in a Midwest or Northeastern farmer’s market, and fresh local citrus fruits or locally grown avocados are usually some of those things. Having these growing right in your own house is as local as it gets.
Fragrant plants like dwarf Kaffir lime trees will also fill the room with the most wonderful scents. It’s an all-natural alternative to those wall plug-ins filled with artificial fragrance chemicals. Other aromatics like mint, lemon grass, bay leaves, and basil (as well other others) have the added bonus of naturally repelling bugs as well!
All in all, when you have a lot of plants in your house, the benefits reach multiple aspects of your life. You’re improving the air you breathe, getting a healthy renewable ultra-local agricultural pipeline, naturally freshening your air, repelling insects, and bringing a unique energy into your home. With a little botanical maintenance, the rewards are endless.