Flowers and plants are becoming a bigger part of our lives, especially since the pandemic has changed the way we interact with the great outdoors forever. When people were stuck at home, it made them bring in ornamental plants and flowers to brighten up the place – this only resulted in natural decor becoming one of the biggest interior decor trends as of late. And even now when people want to limit their time spent outdoors, they continue to lean on flowers and plants in their homes.
Throughout history, people have been using plants and especially flowers in a similar way – their scent, their colors, and their overall effect on a place is one that brings us all peace. This is why they’re included in a lot of fragrances and beauty products, as well as things like calming teas and medicines for anxiety and sleeplessness.
Whether it be floral home decor where you receive flowers on your schedule every week to place around the house, or some other way, we doubt you wouldn’t want at least one of the flowers in this list around.
Jasmine
Jasmine in its many forms – be it as a tea, an essential oil, or even as a plant in your room – have been shown to help with depression, insomnia, and anxiety. Some of its lesser known benefits include enhanced libido for people who are around it a lot.
The most common way to consume jasmine is in tea form, but essential oils haven been gaining popularity as well.
If you want to grow a jasmine plant, you will need to place the pot somewhere with access to a lot of sunlight. Regular watering and lot’s of fertilizer is also required, and high potassium ones are your best bet in the summers. For winters, opt for mulch and well rotted manure. Once the flowers start coming in, you can decrease the amount of fertilizer you use.
Calendulas
While some of the other flowers on this list are helpful with issues like anxiety and depression, Calendulas are helpful in both mental and physical ailments.
They can help reduce scarring from old wounds, help new ones heal faster, and are better for your mental health simply because they aid in keeping your digestive system and immune system in good shape – all things that are important to make sure you sleep well and are able to lead a stable, healthy life. Gut health and mental health have been linked together through research time and time again, and sometimes we need to make changes and improvements in our life to better our mental health.
You can use these flowers in the form of essential oils, as tea, and even in the form of an ointment depending on what you’re using them for.
Lisianthus
Among flowers that are a source of inspiration for the creative souls out there, Lisianthus are at the top of the list. They’re frequently used in floral arrangements where they inspire designers to come up with creative ways to add them to a bouquet, and they’re also associated with creativity and freethinking in the language of flowers.
To grow some of your own, you’re going to need a garden or somewhere outdoors with lots of sun. Water the soil regularly but not too often – make sure the soil is dry between waterings, and feed your flowers a good water soluble fertilizer when you water them.
Chrysanthemum
These flowers are known to lessen your worries, and can even make your body feel more relaxed when taken in the form of a tea. Couple this with the mental health benefits of just having flowers around, and you have the perfect combination to lift your spirits and calm yourself down when the anxiety takes over.
Traditional Chinese medicine uses mums for treating headaches, eye pain, hypertension, and sore throats. On the other hand, recent studies done on animals reveal that this flower has benefits related to obesity management, bone diseases, and inflammation. Even in essential oil form, the flowers might have antibacterial properties.
Be careful though – a lot of people can be allergic to the flower, and direct contact with the petals might even leave your skin feeling irritated.
Verbena
Verbena flowers contain anti-anxiety and sedative properties, which means that they might be just the thing for anyone going through these issues. This flower has even been shown to help seizures and convulsions in mice with epilepsy and other mental conditions. It can even protect nerve cells from damage and contains materials that improve blood and oxygen supply to the brain. This is particularly beneficial for anyone recovering from a stroke.
It has also been known to improve gum and gut health. When taken often, you will also see an improvement in heart health. When used topically, the flower has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.
Verbena plants can be grown anywhere in well drained soil, enough shelter, and adequate sunlight.
Peace Lilies
Peace lilies stand for peace and tranquility, and are known to filter the air in any space they occupy. This isn’t just something metaphorical – peace lily plants do in fact remove toxins like carbon monoxide from the air.
In the language of flowers, you will find that the peace lily stands for things like prosperity, purification, solitude, peace, and tranquility. Taking care of the plant everyday and being in its presence is only going to bring you and your space positivity and brightness, and it makes quite the statement indoors.
Most of the plants have a solitary lily flower that stands upright, and they are kept indoors in flower pots.
Chamomile
In all of the flowers on this list, chamomile is perhaps the best known for its anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety benefits. Chamomile tea is also suggested for people who have trouble sleeping at night. It can help you calm down and relax enough to fall asleep easily.
It even reduces something called oxidative stress in the brain, which is something that can end up causing lasting damage in the long run.