Human Flower Project

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Just What the Doctor Should Order

Appendectomy? Two horticulture researchers document how flowers and foliage can hasten your recovery.

White cyclamen and cards at a hospital patient’s bedside, Louisville, Kentucky
Photo: Human Flower Project

“Get me outta here!” – the battle cry of hospital patients around the world.

Seong-Hyun Park and Richard Mattson, horticulturists at Kansas State University, have a new paper out that sheds light—and relief—on this ancient predicament. They found that having flowering and foliage plants in the room significantly improved patients’ comfort, health, and attitudes while recovering from surgery.

The researchers studied 90 patients who had appendectomies—a fairly routine surgical procedure—in a suburban Korean hospital. In half the patients’ rooms, the researchers placed twelve plants:

Continue Reading