Season 6 Episode 2

Plants, People, and Public Health

From fields of grass and the surrounding trees to the lettuce in your Chipotle bowl and the houseplant that is hanging on by a thread (figuratively and metaphorically), plants are everywhere. And yet, despite their abundance, their benefits to humans have been overshadowed, like a hosta under an oak tree.

Plants touch nearly every dimension of wellness, from community health to mental health; merely their presence in a space contributes to a reduction in stress. The study of this interaction between plants and people is called public horticulture. The discipline’s goal of achieving better health outcomes is not dissimilar to public health, but in this case, nature is the tool.

PHPod host, Jack Mellom, is a student of both disciplines, and in this episode of PHPod, he spoke with Andy Pulte, professor and undergraduate coordinator of the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. They discuss tools to learn more about plants (including Pulte’s Instagram, @PlantSleuth), how to appreciate nature during the winter months, and the importance of a horticultural education at a young age.