A cure for all ills?

In his final column, Dr Richard Claxton looks at how spending time in gardens and green spaces can actually help prevent illness and aid in its treatment

We know that gardens and green spaces are important for our health and wellbeing, but it turns out that their impact isn’t restricted to simply keeping us healthy. When we have been unwell or injured, gardens can be invaluable in our recovery.

Modern healthcare is rediscovering the rich heritage of ancient wisdom that dates back to therapies used in medieval monasteries, and even earlier. I love this 900-year-old quote from St Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the leading lights of the early Cistercian monastic order, and a founding father of horticultural therapy: ‘The sick man sits upon the green lawn… he is secure, shaded from the heat of the day. For the comfort of his pain all kinds of grass are fragrant in his nostrils. The lovely green of herb and tree nourishes his eyes… the choir of painted birds caresses his ears… the earth breathes with fruitfulness, and the invalid himself with eyes, ears and nostrils, drinks in the delights of colours, songs and perfumes.’

Community cures