Health and well-being benefits of spending time in forests: systematic review

Oh, Byeongsang; Lee, Kyung Ju; Zaslawski, Chris; Yeung, Albert; Rosenthal, David; Larkey, Linda; Back, Michael

doi:10.1186/s12199-017-0677-9

Cited by 191 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Previous reviews were analyzed to identify relevant terms for configuring a Boolean search: Cho [3,6,9,13,17]. The keywords identified were divided into three main blocks: (a) habitat (synonyms of forested environments and terms referring to these areas), (b) activity (action developed in forests that have been tested seeking health outcomes) and (c) health effects (effects of forest exposure on body and health systems or functions).…”

Section: Review Scopingmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Should Forests Be Characterized in Regard to Human Health? Evidence from Existing Literature

Bach

Peñuelas

Clarà

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The potential of forests as a source of health has been addressed by the scientific community and is now being considered in national forest strategies, management plans and policies. Studies identifying the mechanisms by which forest characteristics may induce these effects on human health are nevertheless scarce. This systematic review of literature on forests and human health with real-life human exposure was conducted to assess the extent to which forests have been studied and described in detail and the extent to which relationships between forest variables and health effects have been reported. The analysis underlines the lack of forest descriptions in 19.35% of the 62 studies selected for review as well as the high heterogeneity of forest variables’ description. Patterns among the articles could not be identified correlating the broader forest variable (forest type) and the most studied health variables identified (blood pressure, pulse rate or/and cortisol levels). These findings, together with previous ex situ researches, suggest the need to ameliorate and incorporate more accurate descriptions of forest variables within human health studies to provide data for forest management and the potential use of these habitats for preventive medicine and clinical practice guidelines.

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Section: Review Scopingmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Should Forests Be Characterized in Regard to Human Health? Evidence from Existing Literature

Bach

Peñuelas

Clarà

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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“…Spending time in forest environments has other beneficial physiological and mental effects including, impact on cardiovascular, metabolic, endocrine, and mood parameters [83][84][85][86][87][88]. Breathing in the EOs from trees while staying in a forest is a possible mechanism that may induce the health benefits and immune function enhancement of forests and forest bathing, but other mediators may also give rise or contribute to such positive effects.…”

Section: Effects Of Essential Oils From Trees-forest Bathingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Much More Than a Pleasant Scent: A Review on Essential Oils Supporting the Immune System

et al. 2019

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The augmenting acceptance and application of herbal medicine in prevention and treatment of diseases also involve the use of plant essential oils (EOs) through different routes of administration (aromatherapy). Scientific data supporting the efficacy of certain herbal products are continuously growing; however, the cumulative evidence is not always sufficient. The anti-inflammatory properties of EOs have been investigated more extensively and also reviewed in different settings, but so far, our review is the first to summarize the immune-supporting properties of EOs. Our aim here is to synthesize the currently available data on the immune function enhancing effects of EOs. An online search was conducted in the PubMed database, which was terminated at the end of July 2019. Other articles were found in the reference lists of the preselected papers. Studies that applied whole EOs with known components, or single EO constituents under in vitro or in vivo laboratory conditions, or in human studies, and de facto measured parameters related to immune function as outcome measures were included. Two specific fields, EO dietary supplementation for livestock and fish, and forest bathing are also explored. Some EOs, particularly eucalyptus and ginger, seem to have immune function enhancing properties in multiple studies.

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“…The idea of Shinrin Yoku, a Japanese term for “forest bathing,” which is the therapeutic idea of walking in the forest while attempting to be fully present, has been getting increased press. Allison Aubrey () of National Public Radio (NPR) describes her experience of forest bathing with a certified guide and notes that her experience “felt like a meditation retreat.” Research studies have found positive health benefits to forest bathing (Oh et al., ), and garden walking to increase well‐being and beat depression (McCaffrey, Hanson, & McCaffrey, ). Such studies support what our ancestors have known for centuries and can be summed up as this: spending time with nature and with plants is good for you!…”

Section: The Plant–human Connection and Exchangementioning

confidence: 99%

Bonsai as Meditation for Adult Learning

Doyle¹,

Tisdell

Palmer

2019

New Dir Adult Contin Educ

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This chapter discusses ways of engaging the plant-human connection and exchange by learning about bonsai and then engaging and meditating on the tree to eventually cultivate the experience of bonsai as meditation.Tree meets human he(art) Bonsai as meditation Growing new stories.Bonsai is an art form that celebrates the connection of the tree with the human heart. As the haiku above (written by Libby Tisdell) implies, the bonsai artist works with the tree to bring out its essence. Doing so can be a form of meditation, as the plant and bonsai artist come together to grow a new storya connecting story that weaves together that of the tree and that of the artist. Not all bonsai artists necessarily experience bonsai as meditation, but most would agree that there are times when one feels that the connection of the tree with one' s own heart is like an encounter with the Great Essence. It is at these times that bonsai is a meditation, and one can also cultivate a practice of bonsai as meditation.Teaching people about plants and their connection with humans, and how to cultivate bonsai as meditation is also a form of adult education. Hence in this chapter we discuss our experience of teaching and learning bonsai, and cultivating bonsai as meditation. One of us (Jim Doyle) has been a practicing bonsai artist for 45 years and has been teaching bonsai for over 35 of those years. The other two of us (Libby Tisdell and Charles Palmer) teach in higher education/medical education (Charles is also a clinician/physician), as well as teach various meditation modalities in community settings; we have participated in bonsai workshops, but are more appreciators of the beauty of bonsai than actual artists the way that Jim is. In what follows we begin by describing bonsai in the context of the larger discussion of education on the plant-human exchange, and then bonsai education in particular. Next we provide a framework for experiencing bonsai as meditation. Finally, we offer some closing reflections on practice.

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Health and well-being benefits of spending time in forests: systematic review

Cited by 191 publications

References 34 publications

How Should Forests Be Characterized in Regard to Human Health? Evidence from Existing Literature

How Should Forests Be Characterized in Regard to Human Health? Evidence from Existing Literature

Much More Than a Pleasant Scent: A Review on Essential Oils Supporting the Immune System

Bonsai as Meditation for Adult Learning

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