The Healing Trees According To The Tao

Trees are silent friends that we tend to approach spontaneously. We seek their shadow, lean on their trunk or climb on them as if it were a playful challenge. Trees have a natural fascination for humans. They are living beings and wherever they are they always give us a sense of company.

Where there is a tree, there is oxygen and, therefore, there is life. Researcher Matthew Silverstone conducted a study on this topic and published the book Blinded by science in which he formulates an interesting theory about the benefits of hugging and connecting with a tree.

“Silvotherapy”, or “tree therapy”, is a current that has echoed these discoveries. Nonetheless, Eastern cultures have been talking about the physical and mental health benefits of hugging trees and coming into contact with the woods for thousands of years. Zen is one of those doctrines that attributes supreme power to nature’s healing ability.

Trees and health

Thanks to all the studies conducted both in the East and in the West, it has been possible to create a list of all the specific benefits that are obtained by embracing each type of tree. Some trees are now known for their healing power for certain specific ailments. Let’s see together what they are.

• The pines. These trees are revered in Chinese and Japanese cultures and are considered immortal trees. According to the Zen philosophy, they serve to strengthen the nervous system and to improve circulation.
• The cypresses. Hugging these trees helps to be more peaceful and to reduce body heat and anger.

• The willows. They help regulate the body’s humidity and promote the well-being of the urinary system.
• The elms. They strengthen the stomach and calm emotions.
• The maples. They help clear the body of “negative energies” or negative thoughts and help reduce any physical pain.
• The firs. They reduce swelling and promote the healing of bone fractures.
• The birches. They favor the detoxification of the organism.
• The Drimys winteri. It improves heart health and all organs found in the abdomen.
• The cherry trees. They help improve the functions of the pancreas and stomach.
• The figs. They improve the digestive system and reduce body temperature.
• The acacias. They help reduce the temperature of the heart.

It is said that Galen, one of the founding fathers of medicine, counseled to all its patients to spend some ‘time in a laurel forest. Some doctors claimed that the condition of epilepsy patients improved when they slept next to a flowering lime tree. And all doctors, in any age, have always recognized the healing power of contact with nature.

Therapies with trees and woods

Silvotherapy is a field of alternative medicine that uses trees and woods as a source of healing. He claims that vegetation contains large amounts of negative ions and, for this reason, when we come into contact with trees, the body gets rid of all electromagnetic toxins and our mood improves.

From this point of view, contact with electronic devices and stress cause the body to fill up with positive ions. In these cases, it is as if the body becomes a walking transformer. All of this makes us feel fatigued, irritable, in a bad mood, depressed and out of energy. It is enough to come into contact with a forest to neutralize all this, even better, if we hug a tree.

Walking barefoot on the lawn and hugging the trees are recommended practices especially for people who feel nervous and insecure, but also for all those who suffer from excessive fatigue or who feel emotionally exhausted. Matthew Silverstone says it is like “absorbing vitamins from the air” and that this activates all the functions of the body, so that the mind also benefits from it.

One of the major disadvantages of living in large cities is precisely the difficulty of coming into frequent contact with pure woods. Observing the green of the plants and breathing the pure air they generate around them is a beautiful experience in itself. You don’t need to have a lot of knowledge to know that the woods make you more peaceful. Plus, it costs nothing, you don’t need any special skills and, in return, you can get a lot of benefits. How about including a visit to a forest among your usual activities?