Psychological and physiological benefits of horticultural therapy for Chinese older adults.

The study used only one 10-minute plant-watering task, so it does not tell therapists what happens with a repeated horticultural programme. Only one type of indoor plant was used, and the activity was indoors, so results may not apply to outdoor gardening or other plants. All participants were Chinese female older adults living in residential care, over 65, able to walk independently, free of cognitive impairment, and not taking medication; this limits generalisation to men, frailer people, or people with cognitive impairment. The paper calls the study randomized but does not describe how participants were allocated, and it does not say whether researchers or participants were blinded. No primary outcome is clearly stated, and several outcomes were null, including pulse rate, overall alpha EEG power, and attention. The control activity was a seated computer card game, so the study compares two seated indoor activities rather than horticulture with usual care or outdoor nature contact. The EEG headset measured only frontal brainwaves and the authors note it can pick up noise from computers, electrical devices, muscles, and light bulbs.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by Guizhou University under a talent introduction project.

Do not conclude that watering plants is a proven treatment for hypertension or anxiety in older adults. This was a single 10-minute session in 100 healthy older women, and pulse rate, some EEG measures, and attention did not differ from the control game.