Think that the role of household plants is to just brighten up living spaces and look nice on shelves? Think again. Many common household plants, such as ferns, palms, and ZZ plants, can actually lower the infectivity of airborne viruses by raising humidity levels indoors. Yes, you heard that right. One of the secret weapons to fending off or dealing with the common cold or flu may not just be in your medicine cabinet — but also on your windowsill.
According to research, when humidity hits above 40 percent, it is able to greatly reduce the virulence and infectivity of the flu virus. Higher humidity also means lower infectivity of airborne viruses. This is where plants come in: all plants, with the exception of succulents and cacti, have the ability to increase humidity levels through a process known as transpiration.
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