They make more than just a pretty picture.

Houseplants are wonderful things to have around. They can create a far more lived-in, welcoming feel for any room, and make for a beautiful photo. A quick browse through popular social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram will do wonders for convincing you that you need countless houseplants gracing your floors and shelves. Rather than just making your home pretty, however, houseplants can improve the air quality in your home, and may help ease some symptoms of diabetes.

What Do Houseplants Do?

Not all houseplants are masterful cleaners, whipping toxins and smells from your home. Instead, plants are responsible for pulling carbon dioxide from the air, exchanging it for oxygen. They have also been linked to removing common air pollutants found in homes. While that isn’t to say you should forego an actual air purifier in favor of a few small houseplants, plants can be useful in cleaning the air in your home.

Houseplants’ physical effects are useful, but the mental effect of houseplants is also worth noting. Plants have been linked to greater productivity, fewer instances of depression, anger, and anxiety, and better overall mental health. Patients who had plants in their hospital rooms, for instance, typically healed more quickly and experienced less pain in their illness.

How Is This Helpful for Diabetes?

Again, although houseplants will not rid your home of mold, cigarette smoke, or other toxic substances, cleaning up the air quality in your home can improve your diabetic symptoms. Many symptoms associated with diabetes are due to inflammation in the body, and existing inflammation can be worsened (or may have been triggered) by pollutants in the air both inside and outside of your home.

Diabetes has also been linked to depression and anxiety due to both external and internal factors. Houseplants may be able to help alleviate some mental health concerns at least in part. Because mental and physical health are intricately linked, mental health issues can directly affect your body’s ability to ward off illness, manage weight, and even stabilize blood sugar.

The Case for Houseplants

Research has consistently linked plants to greater mental and physical health. Ideally, much of your exposure to plants will come from being outdoors, but some of the benefits can be brought home via pots filled with greenery and flowers. When choosing plants, opt for air cleaners, and avoid plants that give off heavy scents or pollen, as these can cause allergies to flare.