Hilary Rhonda photographed by Eniko Szucs for Vogue Arabia January 2019
There is nothing quite like receiving a bouquet of flowers or an indoor plant. It’s almost guaranteed to make you feel instantly better. From bringing back fond memories from your past to smelling beautiful, flora may also have a positive impact on your overall wellness. Maison Des Fleurs head florist Cheryl Cox shares the health benefits of having fresh-cut flowers and plants a part of your everyday life.
Flower Power
A pretty flower bouquet with bright colors and a soothing scent can brighten a room and your mood at the same time. Flowers have a long-term positive effect with reactions of surprise, genuine happiness, and gratitude. A study by Rutgers University showed participants feeling less depressed, anxious and agitated after receiving flowers. The study challenges established scientific beliefs about how people can manage their day-to-day moods in a healthy and natural way as it triggers happy emotions. Jasmine and lavender are ideal additions to be surrounded in as they are proven to lower stress and anxiety levels, inducing peacefulness, improving sleep and lowering heart rate.
Gift That Keeps On Giving
Increased exposure to nature and fresh air can aid physical health. The beauty and aesthetically pleasing visual of flowers encourages relaxation and brings a sense of peace. In fact, it has been proven that patients with flowers in their hospital rooms needed less pain medication, had lower blood pressure and were less anxious than patients without flowers at their bedside. Eucalyptus leaves have been well known for their healing properties as it’s commonly used to relieve coughs and colds in medications.
Courtesy of Maison Des Fleurs
Flowers Enhance Wellness
Researchers have found that employees perform better when they have fresh flowers and plants at their workspace. Their creativity increases and their brains tick faster which results in an ability to problem solve and because we spend so much time at work, keeping plants around is a simple thing to do to help reduce your stress levels. As an added bonus, flowers can stay fresh indoors for a long time if the air is humid. Large chrysanthemums or “mums” are ranked the highest for air purification. They’re shown to eliminate common toxins as well as ammonia from your everyday life.
Blooming Taste
Floral centerpieces on the dinner table are a timeless tradition but flowers can sometimes show up on your dinner plate too. Though part of many diets, flowers are rarely known for their nutritive value. Edible flowers contain phytonutrients, flavonoids and antioxidants, all of which can help lower the risk of certain health problems like cancer and heart disease. They are a promising source of minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, and dietary fiber.
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