What are the benefits of forest bathing?

Forest bathing was used in Japan in the 1980s for physical and mental health. It’s about getting out in nature and taking in the forest atmosphere.

This is not about taking a bath in the forest. This is about being out in the forest, breathing in certain chemicals or essential oils from the trees. There seems to be a very interesting immune benefit from being exposed to certain essential oils emitted by the trees in a forest. The group of compounds we’re talking about is called phytoncides.

This chemical could significantly increase your natural killer cells. The natural killer cells are part of the innate immune system, and they do several things for your body. They will actually punch a hole into cells that have been infected by viruses and destroy the cell and the virus inside of it.

Different studies have also found that diffusing essential oils with the same chemical in the air of your home could provide benefits.

Forest bathing could potentially provide not only immune benefits but stress-lowering effects as well. It’s incredibly important to do what you can to strengthen your immune system. This could be a fantastic, natural and inexpensive way to do it.