TEHRAN – Keeping flowers and plants in home has psychological benefits, Pejman Azadi, president of the Iranian Society for Ornamental Plants said in an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times.

“Indoor flowers and plants are not luxury goods but essential items for today’s life,” Azadi, who holds a PhD in plant biotechnology from Chiba University of Japan, added.

The psychological state and healthy state of the society is intertwined with plants used in houses, he stressed.

“Consumption of cut flowers in Iran is about 11 euro per capita. But it is 130 to 140 euro in European countries and 84 euro in Japan,” he noted.

Unfortunately, daily or weekly buying of flowers or plants is not routine in Iran.

“Artificial flowers are welcomed in Iran but the point is that they are only beautiful and they have no effect on mental and physical health,” he regretted.

Inside is more polluted than outside!

Most of the time officials ask children, elderly people and those with weak lungs to stay at home during air pollution days in metropolises but the fact is that inside the houses are more polluted, Azadi said.

According to academic statistics, the air in homes are five to seven times more polluted than open space, he said.

“The adhesive which is used for wallpapers and floor covering as well as wooden appliances contains toxic chemicals, which can be a significant source of indoor air pollution.”

Such toxic chemicals contributes to asthma and allergy and even different kinds of cancer, he added.

By bringing nature into our homes, the indoor plants are able to remove gases and toxins like Benzene and Formaldehyde from the air by absorbing them through their leaves and root systems, he said.

Invite Mother Nature to your home! 

According to academic studies, by bringing plants into your living environment, you can enjoy more oxygen so you feel refreshed, he said.

Azadi said that each 10 square meters area in indoor spaces need a plant in about 15 centimeter pot so that you can enjoy fresh air.

“Unfortunately most of people are not aware of the magic of plants and flowers in their life and neglect them,” he added.

He said that the Iranian Society for Ornamental Plants tries to inform people of the issue through publishing books and also sending electronic emails on the importance of indoor plants.

Plants in children’s rooms!

Don’t hesitate to put some plants and flower pots in your children’s rooms, he said.

“Gardening and taking care of plants is a great way to teach kids about responsibility. Kids learn that they have to take care of them in order for them to become healthy plants,” he said.

Besides it is useful and helps them get rid of harmful airborne toxins in their rooms, Azadi said.

Indoor plants and flowers are essential for modern life. Let’s bring flower pots to every home and remind each other of the benefits of greeneries we have neglected for a long time, he concluded.

SB/MG