Forest Therapy

What is forest therapy?

Forest therapy is a growing trend in Japan in which people actively seek out nature, especially forests, to help relieve various ailments and improve health. Doctors believe that there are unclaimed benefits from forests that could drastically improve our health, whether simply to facilitate relaxation and therewith reduce stress or even help fight or prevent cancer! Although there is still a lot of research to be done, scientists and doctors have already been busy trying to prove their results in this exciting field.

Although most of the research is conducted actual forests, some are even trying to replicate results indoors, through use of chunks of natural wood and pine aromatherapy oils, to simulate the forest experience in urban areas.

The science behind it

We all know that urban living is a very modern construct and that our bodies often fare better in natural settings. Cities try their best to improve our quality of life by including green spaces in our urban environments, but what is it about a forest retreat that helps us so much?

The key to forest therapy is a little compound, first discovered by a Russian scientist, called a phytoncide. It is emitted by plants that helps prevent plant rot. It is also known to fend off small organisms, such as bacteria, and keep the plant healthy.  Although phytoncides can be found outside of forests, the combination of scenery, plant variety, connection to nature, and more, helps build the foundation of forest therapy.

Proven Health Benefits

Although there is still much research that needs to be done in order to prove the anticarcinogenic advantages of forest therapy, scientists and doctors already have proof that forest therapy is able to help reduce stress and blood pressure, lower cortisol levels, as well as improve sleep, concentration, and overall immunity. The most commonly studied phytoncides are alpha and beta-pinenes, which, as the names suggest, are found primarily in pine trees, rosemary, and other coniferous trees.

The studies that have been conducted thus far have explored the effects of spending time in forests and they have led to the following conclusions:

Improved immune function

Researched found increased Natural Killer cell (NK cell) activity after people spent time in forests, including an overall increase in the number of NK cells as well as increased levels of intracellular anticancer proteins from a simple day trip to a forest, lasting up to a week. Other researchers found that this not only increased up to 56% on the 2nd day in the forest, but that there was still an increase of 23% a month after the visit. This shows that even a short retreat can have drastic and long-lasting effects on the body’s natural immune system. 
Some preliminary research also suggests that there were increased levels of intracellular anti-cancer proteins. Although research needs to continue, so far results suggest a positive outcome for disease prevention and improved quality of life through forest therapy. 

Mental health and stress benefits

Another study suggests that the reduction in stress hormones, such as adrenaline and noradrenaline found in urine, through forest therapy may also contribute to the increased NK cell activity. Alongside the reduction of stress, researchers also found a significant increase in serotonin, which contributes to healthy sleep patterns as well as regulating appetite, anxiety, mood, sexual desire, and more! Multiple studies show a significant decrease in negative feelings among subjects, such as a reduction in tension, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, exhaustion, and confusion.      

Pain Relief

There are even studies that suggest that forest therapy and visits to green spaces could be used in pain management therapy. Scientists propose that exposure to nature – phytoncides, fresh air, sunshine, and even simply the green scenery – could provide positive outcomes when trying to manage pain. Although this requires further study, this could be a great, natural way to manage chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia.