Have you ever wondered why we need plants? Are there only the obvious reasons or can we find more hidden/subconscious ones? How are these reasons interconnected with our DNA and the plant? Plants are definitely important for us and there is a lot of discussion about the positive impact they have in our environment and what we can do about it. Also, without plants there is no life, because these are the basic organisms for the food chain on our planet. Almost every organism on Earth eats and depends on plants. But we do discuss so often the mentality plants offer in us as human beings. Even though urbanization has been a global phenomenon for hundreds of years, the lack of contact with nature has been revealed scientifically as one of the main reasons for mental disorders like depression, anxiety etc. People need daily contact with plants because it is simply “written in their DNA.” Hundreds of years of urbanization cannot defeat hundreds of thousands years of human beings interacting with nature. But how can we “feed our soul” with plants since modern life demands our living in cities? Besides walking in a park or spending a weekend in the wilderness, we endure so many working hours in a non-natural environment.

There a solution, however. Just start to have plants in your working and living environments! I will pick the ideal plant for you! Adopt an Euphorbia myrsinites plant! It grows almost everywhere and in Greece you can find it in the most bizarre areas where nothing grows, along with 57 species and subspecies. And it is super easy to make it proliferate! Just cut a leaf off it and put it in a flower pot. A new plant will thrive! Just be careful, because this succulent plant oozes a white sticky substance when it is cut which can irritate your skin and eyes, so you had better work with gloves. Just water it once a month. Nothing more than that. It does not need much sun, but it works best in good sunshine and it survives in different environments and temperatures. Every spring it will offer you long-lasting yellow flowers and in the winter its cold leaves’ peaks have a nice reddish color. The New Year is coming an there is an inner need for changes in our lives! Adopt plants!

 * The above is not medical advice but mere suggestions for improving your diet. Before reach herbal use you should consult your doctor, especially those who have health issues, are pregnant or are under the age of 6.

Evropi-Sofia Dalampira is an Agriculturist-MSc Botany-Biology and PhD Candidate in Agricultural-Environmental Education and Science Communication.