High on Life

This appeared in the April 8, 2021 edition of The Fish Wrap.

Those who love gardening already know what science is discovering - working in the garden makes you happy! Research explains how our mental health is supported by working in the soil. Many of the fungi and bacteria that make up healthy soil are the same that support your gut. We have been living and working with these organisms for centuries. But with our modern antibiotic use, pasteurized food and indoor living, we left behind these ‘old friends.’

A bacteria present in healthy soil, called Mycobacterium vaccae, has been shown to act as a natural antidepressant by increasing Serotonin. Low levels of serotonin are linked to depression and anxiety. Pharmaceutical remedies work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin, so that it remains available. This soil microbe naturally stimulates the brain to produce more of the happy juice. Gardeners receive the soil microbe by inhaling, absorbing through the skin or eating it from a carrot eaten straight from the ground!

Doctors in Great Britain are now prescribing ‘Horticulture therapy’ which has been shown to reduce stress, alleviate depression and accelerate rehabilitation with no side effects. In Japan, some practice Shinrin-yoku or forest bathing which is simply spending time in nature. These activities have been shown to slow down the vicious cycle of the stress hormone cortisol. Practitioners at all levels can benefit, from vigorous digging to simply absorbing the sights, sounds and smells of a natural setting.

Then there’s the ‘harvest high.’ Dopamine is a compound associated with a state of mild euphoria. Our ancestors evolved to produce a flush of dopamine when food was found, hunted or harvested. This same dopamine release can be triggered when we pull a carrot from the ground or pick a berry. So get out there and garden - that dirt under your fingernails is filled with happiness!