Gardening for Brain Power
When we think of gardening, we think of beautiful flowers, delicious vegetables, fruits, and herbs. These items that are grown can be used for food, decoration, or medicinal use. Gardening is a fun and therapeutic activity that people of all ages can engage in. It is an exciting hobby and pastime that incorporates the perfect blend between physical exercise, nature, sunlight, and social interactions. Most importantly, gardening has numerous health benefits, such as boosting your brain power.
Mental Health
Gardening is a calming activity that allows individuals to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. In a Japanese study, viewing plants altered EEG recordings and reduced stress, fear, anger, and sadness, as well as reduced blood pressure, pulse rate, and muscle tension.” A certain bacteria found in the soil used for gardening has helped people’s brains get stimulated and increase the production of serotonin. A boost in the chemical serotonin allows for regulating a person’s mood, digestion, and sleep. Along with this, viewing beautiful natural scenery and listening to nature's sounds is a great method to clear the mind of negative thoughts. Surrounding yourself with green spaces and allocating your time towards cultivating a garden will help generate a positive outlook on life.
Exercise to the Brain:
Our body is a vessel. It is important to keep it strong and healthy with the right nutrients and physical movement. Our brain behaves in the same manner. It is crucial to exercise the brain in order to strengthen neural pathways and build new ones. Gardening involves planning, organizing, and decision-making. It is also important to make choices based on the weather, growing patterns, and plant type. Critical thinking in situations like this involves conceptualizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating. Along with this, gardening allows you to boost your concentration levels. With all these skills that you are cultivating, your brain is able to replenish your cognitive skills. These skills are extremely vital to allow humans to think, read, learn, reason, pay attention, and remember details.
It has also been proven that certain plants aid in boosting brain power and memory. Here is a list of 10 plants to improve and maintain your brain functions:
Peppermint: Smelling this herb helps boost memory
Rosemary: When incorporated into food, this herb boosts memory and alertness
Thyme: High levels of luteolin and healthy fats help increase brain function
Ginger: Has anti-inflammatory properties that battle Parkinson’s Disease
Beans: Produces neurotransmitters in the brain
Ginkgo Biloba: Heals and regenerates brain cells
Reishi Mushrooms: Fights the symptoms linked with levels of anxiety and depression
Ginseng: Boosts mental health, actives neurotransmitters, and improves memory
Blueberries: Improves decision-making skills, reasoning abilities, and comprehension
Periwinkle: Improves blood and oxygen circulation to the brain.