During this time the body of research has increased building on some original papers by Dr Bill Wolverton then working for NASA, who found that plants absorb toxic chemicals in indoor air.

Volatile Organic Chemicals
This has become increasingly important as discoveries that indoor air is often more polluted than the air outside! More often than not, the blame can be laid at the door of modern technology or modern, man-made furnishing and building materials, which emit a host of VOCs (Volatile Organic Chemicals) into the air we breathe. Materials like adhesives, many paints, carpets, synthetic building materials, computer screens and printing machinery and all those products we use for personal hygiene like deodorants, perfume, hairspray etc. 

Importance of plants
But now the research findings have taken it much further. Research programmes, surveys and studies have built a bank of information that makes us realise just how important plants are to us:

• Plants emit oxygen we need to breathe whilst absorbing the carbon dioxide we exhale  
• Plants absorb VOCs/toxins in the air often linked to Sick Building Syndrome
• They reduce headaches, sore, dry throats, dry or itchy skin, fatigue
• Plants help to keep us calm
• They help us to recover from surgery more quickly
• They can absorb noise
• They can shade us from the sun
• They keep us more comfortable by raising humidity levels
• They reduce dust particles
• They help us to concentrate
• They make us more productive
• They improve our creativity
• They improve our idea generation and problem solving

On these pages we’ll offer you the facts and how to use them to encourage your customers to buy more houseplants.

Check out the sections dedicated to case studies where you can see results of using plants in businesses.

And in the research section you can find synopses of the research to date and even download some of the original papers of the academics should you be interested.

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