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KMID : 1147820120010010014
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Journal of Naturopathy
2012 Volume.1 No. 1 p.14 ~ p.20
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A Study on the Effects of Human Physiology after Forest Phytoncide Therapy
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Lee Bo-Koo
Lee Hyung-Hwan
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Abstract
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In order to study the natural healing effects of forest phytoncide, blood pressure, heart rate, stress hormone cortisol, brain waves(α, β?-waves), and 7 types of heart rate variability of 31 subjects were measured before and after the subjects experienced forest therapy. Questionnaires on stress (occupational and psychosocial) and anxiety (state and trait) were also conducted on the same 31 subjects in order to measure changes in their clinical physiology. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures were shown to be significantly lower after forest therapy. For systolic blood pressure, male subjects recorded a decrease of 1.3% and females 0.94%, while for diastolic blood pressure male subjects displayed a decrease 3.9% and females 1.7%. And heart rates were shown to be lowered by 1.5 beats per minute. The level of stress hormone cortisol decreased by 1.7% in male subjects after the forest walk. However, no significant changes were recorded in female subjects. The subjects’ brain waves before and after forest therapy showed that α-waves increased in both males and females by 5.4% and 6%, respectively. And β-waves decreased 6.3% in males, while minimal change was found in females. In the area of the autonomic nervous system, after forest therapy, male participants displayed significant decrease in physical stress by 2.75%, while showing meaningful increase in parasympathetic activity by 2.83%, resistance to stress by 3.67%, and cardiac function stability by 3.08%. Female participants showed substantial lowering of physical alertness by 4.39% and sympathetic activity by 2.65%, while resistance to stress rose significantly by 3.67%. Those areas which showed low significance still showed changes in results. It was observed that forest therapy helped level heart rate variability considerably more in males than females. And, though a narrow difference exists, it seems females also benefited from the therapy as well. In conclusion, the forest therapy contributed to the human body by stabilizing brain waves and blood pressure, as well as easing heart rate, while also stabilizing the physical and mental state by reducing stress levels.
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KEYWORD
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phytoncide, forest therapy, terpene, immunity, stress, cortisol, naturopathy
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