Health effects of plants, light, and natural elements of biophilic interventions in confined settings: a systematic review.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of 124 studies across clinical and extreme analog environments.
PubMed 41438217 · doi:10.3389/fphys.2025.1700518
What was done
Authors conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines by searching PubMed and Scopus. The review evaluated 124 studies investigating the health, psychological, and physiological impacts of biophilic interventions (such as edible plants, living greenery, natural materials, and lighting) in confined terrestrial and extreme environments, including hospitals, eldercare facilities, isolation wards, polar research stations, and space habitats.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical effect sizes or pooled statistical metrics. Qualitatively, across the 124 reviewed studies, living plant systems and biophilic elements were associated with reduced stress, anxiety, pain perception, and cortisol levels, alongside improvements in mood, cognitive fatigue recovery, team cohesion, and nutritional intake. Practical feasibility was noted for modular systems in extreme and clinical settings.
Why it matters
Demonstrates how integrating living plant systems and natural design elements into highly constrained environments can simultaneously address mental health, cognitive resilience, and nutritional or life-support needs.
Limits
The abstract does not report quantitative data, effect sizes, or meta-analytic pooling. Included literature spans widely disparate settings (ICUs to spaceflight analogs) with heterogeneous intervention types, and practical adoption is constrained by infection control, microbial risks, equipment sensitivity, space limits, and operational workload.
Cited by
- partial Japanese shinrin-yoku (forest bathing), visiting urban parks, and having houseplants reduce salivary cortisol levels.