How trees protect your health

Even small kids know about the role of trees and how vast expanses of pristine forests keep our Earth’s atmosphere rich in oxygen and our planet liveable.

That’s why we don’t use palm oil for the making of Manna products. To produce this cheap ingredient for the food- and cosmetics industries, suppliers cut down huge stretches of rainforests in Southeast Asia every year. That leads to a complete and final destruction of local plant and animal populations – even the highly endangered orangutans are now threatened again.

A hundred years ago, the islands of Borneo and Sumatra were home to 230,000 orangutans whereas today only 7,300 of them are left in the wild – according to the World Widelife Fund. The reason is the expansion of palm oil plantations. Since 1990, 31,000 hectares of wilderness (the size of Germany) has been wiped out in Indonesia.

You have good reasons to protect trees, plant trees and live among trees. Here are some of the most important arguments:

• Much less attention is paid to the protection of urban trees than to the safeguarding of wild forests. It’s important to know: according to the WHO, trees that grow in the urban jungle save the lives of 7 million people around the world every year by purifying the dusty, smoky air in cities.

• Decades of medical experience shows that the mere sight of trees helps inpatients’ recovery in hospitals. In wards with windows looking to parks, patients have a higher chance of fast recovery.

• Walks or regular jogging through parks and forests have important health benefits. Exercising in fresh, oxygen-rich air is great for the body while the sight of trees helps to heal the soul. Scientific research has shown that the proximity of trees benefits people a great deal, especially the elderly and people who suffer from depression, anxiety or ADD.

• Many believe that having trees close by can truly heal, relax and energise. So don’t be surprised if you spot people who wander through the woods with eyes closed, stopping only to push their forehead or face gently to a tree trunk :)