“The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician,” Paracelsus wrote in the 16th century CE. A simple walk in the woods can benefit both physical and mental health.
While chronic illnesses need to be treated properly by a physician, the best preventive medicine is Nature Therapy. In Japan, shinrin-yoku or forest bathing is a popular method of this therapy.
Forest bathing is proven to deliver lasting benefits to one’s physical and mental wellbeing, while also creating a profound connection to nature. The benefits of shinrin-yoku include reducing stress, improving one’s mood, enhancing creativity, boosting one’s immune system, reducing high blood pressure, and accelerating recovery from illness.
In 1982, the head of the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tomohide Akiyama, officially coined shinrin-yoku to encourage more people to visit the country’s forests.
** Introduction text by Rungsima Kasikranund
