In the United States, forest bathing is attracting attention alongside yoga and mindfulness. The main character of forest bathing is phytoncides. Phytoncides are volatile substances emitted by trees. A literal translation of this is “phyton (plant) + chid (kill),” a substance with a slightly dangerous effect. Phytoncides are substances that trees and grass emit to protect themselves from harmful substances. Thanks to these phytoncides, the air is purified and the forest is filled with fresh air. These substances are mainly terpene-based aromatic compounds emitted by coniferous trees. When city dwellers walk through the forest while being exposed to these aromatic compounds, they feel refreshed in both body and mind.
It is known that forest bathing and walking under trees makes the parasympathetic nervous system dominant. When the parasympathetic nervous system becomes dominant, it promotes the stability of the autonomic nervous system and you can expect a relaxing effect. What’s interesting is that the effect of phytoncides is not one-way. Phytoncides, which bring about relaxation, also have the effect of lowering the blood pressure of people with high blood pressure. On the other hand, people with blood pressure that is too low cannot be said to be healthy. For people with low blood pressure and feeling unwell, forest bathing can create a good situation that their blood pressure approaches normal values. Furthermore, forest bathing activates natural killer cells. The role of natural killer cells is to recognize and attack virus-infected cells and some cancer cells in the body. What has earned it praise in the United States is that the effects have been sustained even after forest bathing. The effects were sustained even after 30 days. This shows that if you take forest bathing about once a month, your body may be able to maintain high immune function at all times.
The brain, which captures phytoncides and pheromones, is close to a primitive instinct in humans. Unlike vision and taste, the sense of smell is structured to transmit information directly to the brain without going through synapses. This sense of smell is used to check the safety of food and detect external enemies. It is an essential sense for life. The sense of smell is the most important for human survival. It is an essential sense for finding food and detecting phytoncides and pheromones. We have experienced that when we smell a good scent, our mood improves and anxiety and depression are improved. If we can make good use of scents, they can help improve our lives.
