Walking in pine forest can have the same effect as a prescription drug

INTERVIEW - KATHY WILLIS, professor of biodiversity, the University of Oxford, and author, Good Nature

- Alexander McNamara

The practice of forest bathing is a mindful, meditative experience where we allow our senses to become attuned to nature by spending time walking through woodlands. Numerous studies have shown that immersing ourselves in the natural world in this way can have significant health benefits, but could we ever bring this practice to a clinical setting?

The answer to that question is the subject of the new book Good Nature by Kathy Willis, professor of biodiversity at the University of Oxford. In it, she draws on the available evidence to show not just the health benefits of being surrounded by nature, but also the quantitative data that shows how doctors could prescribe time in the natural environment.

In this interview, she explains how specific types of nature can help us relax and even improve our gut microbiome. Edited excerpts:

What is the mechanism in the body by which seeing plants and nature can have not just a psychological impact, but a physiological one, too?

When you look at the colour green-and green and white leaves in particular are good-we've got three pathways that are affected through that visualisation. (It's an automatic response. We have nothing to do with it. So, for example, it'll be a change in your hormone levels, your adrenaline hormone will go down or your heart rate variability is enhanced.) The first pathway affects the autonomic nervous system, so your heart rate and your blood pressure goes down. The second one is your endocrine system your hormones-and, for example, you get a change in your salivary amylase levels, which is one that shows stress levels are reduced. The third one is your psychological index, which is the sort of thing that a psychiatrist will do to show people feel calm and a lot less anxious.