Today, our air has become heavily polluted, leading to various health issues such as breathing problems, eye irritation, nose and throat-related medical issues, and sometimes even affecting the central nervous system. In response to this, nature has provided us with many plants that act as a shield and protect us from the harmful toxins present in the air by absorbing them. By incorporating these plants into your indoor environment, you don’t have to employ any kind of machine to purify the indoor air in your house. Here are some of the natural air-purifying plants that can keep you healthy.
1. Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis): This incredible plant, a member of the Asphodelaceae family, has not only medicinal benefits but also has a great potential to purify the air. According to the clean air research study by NASA, it can successfully remove pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide. According to that study, the 713 cm2 leaf surface area of the aloe vera plant can remove 1,555 micrograms formaldehyde from air.
2. Snake plant (Sansevieria Trifasciata Laurentii): Snake-like appearance of this plant makes it more fascinating. It is also famous for the name "mother-in-law's tongue." According to the research study, It is used to enhance IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) in poorly ventilated tropical offices and has been shown to reduce CO2 levels by up to 58%. Another study found that it can remove harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, trichloroethylene, and benzene from the air. Additionally, It absorbs carbon dioxide and releases oxygen at night.
3. Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum): This spider-like looking plant can be grown effortlessly at home and known for its ability to absorb various indoor air pollutants like formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, carbon monoxide, and benzene. These plants absorb airborne pollutants through their leaves and then transfer them into their leaves where microbes detoxify them by feeding on them.
4. Bamboo palm (Chamaedorea seifritzii): The beautiful green leaves of bamboo palm add a lovely aesthetic to indoor places. It also contributes to making the air cleaner and healthier.
The bamboo plant is becoming very popular for its air-purifying qualities these days. It absorbs various volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, chloroform, and xylene, as defined in the clean air study led by NASA. It also helps in maintaining humidity levels due to its high transpiration rate.
5: Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens): It is also known as the golden cane palm or butterfly palm. This cost-effective plant is a sustainable solution for improving indoor air quality and human well-being in closed spaces, serving its duty as a “guardian of air” as it can effectively remove carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), toluene, and xylene from the air. Research studies have shown that it can reduce volatile compounds by 88.16%, CO2 by 52.33%, and CO by 95.70%.
6. Golden pothos (Epipremnum aureum): It is commonly known by the name of “money plant”. As its name suggests, the money plant actually helps in saving money by absorbing airborne pollutants and keeping human life healthy. It removes pollutants from air such as formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, carbon monoxide but it can cause moderate toxicity on consumption as reported.
7. Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa): Lady palm, a plant with fan-shaped leaves is native to China and has great air purifying properties as it eliminates pollutants like formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, benzene, and toluene etc. This plant not only possesses air-purifying properties but also has insect-repelling qualities. This is also a best and cost effective way to keep air clean and healthy.
References:
1. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19930073077/downloads/19930073077.pdf
2. DOI:10.3390/atmos11030271
3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339834189
4. https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/1999/Spider-Plants-and-Clean-Air
5. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11177-1
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33074430/
7. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343949645_Plants_and_their_Magnificent_Indoor_Air_Purifying_Attributes
8. https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/volatile-organiccompounds#:~:text=Breathing%20VOCs%20can%20irritate%20the,Some%20VOCs%20can%20cause%20cancer.