I truly believe that plants have a natural connection with all life. That connection in humans brings forth stimulation of the five senses, body balance and healing energy. For plants, it provides the bond of natural living connectiveness.
Every plant has its own characteristics to tantalize our various senses through its array of shapes, colors, textures, and scents. But did you know that certain plants can promote healing through sensory stimulation?
I witnessed this firsthand. I saw how a simple basil plant transformed a person’s alertness in the blink of an eye.
Cathy Allen, “The Green Ambassador”.
As a master gardener and environmental educator, I volunteer lots of my time teaching seniors and youth about the power of plants. It was a typical day at one of the assisted living centers that I visit each month. I decided to install an herb garden in the center’s activity area because they had recently removed all indoor plants from the center.
You might ask why the assisted living center removed all the indoor plants. I found out that assisted living facilities cannot have inedible plants in the common areas since many house plants or tropical plants are poisonous to people and pets if consumed. Armed with that knowledge, I decided on a hands-on sensory planting exercise focused on herbs; basil was one of the seven herbs I chose for the exercise.
As I was taking the herbs out of a cardboard box from the plant nursery and smelling their aromas, I heard a woman’s voice from the nearby couch, asking, “Is that basil I smell?” She was sitting with her husband, who had suffered a major stroke and was not alert. He was just sitting there, lost in his thoughts, not responding to his wife or any of the activities around him. I see this quite often when visiting assisted living facilities. It’s very painful to see a once vibrant person just sitting and looking aimlessly at nothing.
I said, “Why, yes, you do smell basil.” She began to explain how her husband loves basil and how she had often cooked with basil throughout the years.
I approached the wife with a basil plant. She smiled and took a deep breath of its aroma. Then she placed the basil under her husband’s nose. Instantly, he responded with a smile and began to talk about a particular dish she used to prepare.
She was simply awestruck. “I told you he loves basil, and look. He is back with me once again,” she said as tears of joy trailed down her cheek.
I witness these miracles frequently as people connect and transform through the power of plants. There is a wealth of research that shows that we have a connection with plants and that connecting with certain plants can promote memory, cognitive functioning, and healing. I have made it my life’s work to heal people through my knowledge and insight about plants so that people can live free of disease through the power of plants.
Cathy Allen is an award-winning Urban Environmentalist, the co-creator of G.R.A.S.S. (Growing Resources After Sowing Seed) as well as Chair of the “Grow-It Eat It” campaign. G.R.A.S.S. is an environmental entrepreneurial nonprofit program based on the fundamentals of gardening, agriculture and ecology. In conjunction with Baltimore City Public Schools, Allen’s campaign has planted over a half-million trees on the lawns of Baltimore City public schools.
