An article in Biological Diversity calls for institutions to recognize therapeutic gardening as an official medical practice
The next drug your doctor suggests may not have a leaflet. But an address: a botanical garden, to be precise. The idea that planting, watering and caring for something alive can be a cure in its own rightcomplete with a medical prescription, is at the center of a scientific article just published in the magazine Biological Diversity by scientists from the South China Botanical Garden and the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria in Melbourne. The name researchers give to this practice is “Horticultural Healing Prescription”. A recipe for those suffering from depression, chronic diseases and stress disorders.
adopt a plant
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But does it work? The answer, according to the data revealed by the researchers, is yes. Dealing with something alive, in an open space, with other people around, affects cortisol, mood and sense of isolation in a measurable way. So much so that some public gardens, even in Europe, already have active programs Plant Adoptionwhich involve single elderly people, migrants and low-income families, who adopt a plant and take care of it for weeks. Those who participate report less anxiety and less loneliness.
The researchers explain that a greater variety of plants in a green space produces stronger psychological benefits, which gives botanical gardens an advantage over the park near the housewhere often the same (few) tree species always grow. And there are seven mechanisms through which these spaces improve the lives of those who live in the city: from stress reduction to help for those who suffer from anxiety about the future of the planet, through economic, educational and cultural benefits.
nature and city
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In richer countries the share of people living in cities exceeds 80 percent. More inhabitants in built environments, less contact with nature, more disorders related to stress and loneliness. On the other hand, botanical gardens preserve 30 percent of the planet’s wild plants, and research is also carried out within them. What is missing is that institutions recognize their role in public health. The article indicates five actions to be taken, one of which is to start working with doctors to give “green prescriptions” to patients who show they need them. “Ultimately, good botanical gardens improve human life”, write the researchers, who see in these spaces a tool to finally mend the link between city dwellers and nature.
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