Forest Bathing (or shinrin-yoku) is not just a walk in the woods but Immersing yourself in the aroma of the forest. It also implies taking in the forest atmosphere. This therapy was developed by Japan in the 80s and has gained popularity in South Korea and other countries as well.
Natural Killer Cells are part of our immune systems. As the name suggests, they play a critical role in fighting virus-infected cells and tumour cells. It has been proven through experimental studies that a chemical called Phytoncide increases the NK Cell activity. Phytoncide is a chemical that is released by trees to form a web of protection against microbes and other harmful drugs. Evidently, small plants such as vegetables also emit these chemicals.
Forest bathing increases our exposure to these Phytoncide compounds. Read this research paper to know about how shinrin-yoku is good for immune system:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20074458/
Apart from this, there are other benefits to forest bathing such as reducing blood pressure, improving your mood, filling your lungs with fresh air, and improving your creativity.
It is near impossible to create such forests within the cities for lack of certain things like land and due to abundance of certain things like polluted air and water. But in echo-habitats, like Organo Antharam, at least 25% of the land is left for afforestation with walking paths and cycling tracks running across them with seating areas spread across. Spending time in these areas every day is a close approximation to forest bathing that can be experienced every day.
