Plants Over Pills: A Natural Path to Wellness

Kathy Willis shares 5 key insights from Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health.

Imagine if there were a medicine that could lower stress, reduce pain, improve sleep, and even boost your immune system—all without a prescription. And what if that medicine was just outside your door, for free? Well Kathy Willis thinks it is. She’s a professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford and she’s written a new book called Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants is Good for Our Health. From flower power to the surprising health effects of touching wood or smelling lavender, Kathy blends cutting-edge research with practical advice to help us tap into the healing power of the natural world. Scroll down to hear Kathy’s prescription for a healthier life:

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The 5 Key Insights:

1. Plants reduce stress.

2. Certain nature sounds provide pain relief.

3. Smelling plants brings them into our bodies.

4. Touching wood or plant leaves can reduce blood pressure.

5. Walk or run in a park instead of on a sidewalk.

Hear Kathy’s prescription for a healthier life: