Forests have always held spiritual and therapeutic powers in folklore, yet their healing ability on human health is well-established in modern medicine, too. This is the basis of the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku–or forest bathing–and has long been embraced as a form of ecotherapy.
Forest bathing–defined as absorbing the forest atmosphere–has been found to boost our immune systems, reduce blood pressure, and alleviate depression. Additional studies show that nature exposure, specifically exposure to trees–reduces cortisol, the stress hormone that contributes to heart disease, headaches, and other physical ailments; one trial found that subjects reported significantly lower stress levels after a walk in the forest, as opposed to another setting.
Of course, if you have spent time in the woods, surrounded by trees, these scientific findings will not be surprising. There is a reason urban dwellers yearn for nature and how it makes us feel more alive; how sitting in the sun energizes, swimming in the sea restores, and immersing in green environments grounds.
Yet the science is there, too. Several theories outline the nature-health link as a direct result of phytoncides, the volatile essential oils released by trees, which have natural antimicrobial and insecticidal qualities that protect the tree from germs and parasites. When we breathe in fresh air, we breathe in phytoncides and reap the physical and physiological benefits. Evergreen trees–which encompass pines, conifers, cypresses, firs, spruces, redwoods, and yews–are distinguished as some of the best phytocide producers in the world, so if you live near wooded areas made up of these trees, it is the optimal place to experience natural aromatherapy.
