Ambius offer a variety of indoor plants. Studies have shown that indoor plants:
- Are effective in cleaning the air by helping to absorb volatile organic compounds
- Can help reduce the physical symptoms of sick building syndrome
- Help to reduce dust pollution
Most work environments and public buildings are 'sealed' from the real world and are usually designed to prevent fresh air from outside coming in. Air-conditioning is commonplace.
At the University of Technology Sydney, researchers have produced very positive results showing different varieties of indoor plants noticeably improving air quality.
The body of research is growing regarding the other positive effects of indoor plants, such as the cooling effect they have, and increasing and stabilising humidity in air-conditioned spaces.
Indoor plants - leaves, roots and potting media - take Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the air such as benzene and formaldehyde released by furnishings, carpets, photocopiers, printers and many modern building materials, and contribute oxygen back into the environment.
In the 1980s, Professor Roger Ulrich and his colleagues in the USA showed that hospital patients recovering from major operations suffered fewer post-operative ill effects if they had a view of nature, as opposed to a view of buildings, through their window.
They were discharged sooner, had fewer post-operative side effects, such as nausea and headaches, needed fewer and weaker painkillers and were less demanding of nursing personnel.
Further studies, using volunteers and pictures of urban and rural landscapes, confirmed that scenes of nature lower stress levels, facts that have both economic and healthcare implications. More recently, researchers have studi