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Abstract Horticultural therapy, as a new medical method, has a good effect on human physical, mental health and society. This study focused on the significance of horticultural therapy in college students, the research of experimental content and the problems encountered in the specific implementation, fully understood the application status of horticultural therapy on college students' physical and mental health, and proposed that agricultural colleges and universities could take advantage of their own advantages to actively carry out relevant research, in order to provide technical support for the comprehensive development of horticultural therapy in college students.
Keywords Horticultural therapy, College students, Physical and mental health
DOI 10.16785/j.issn 1943-989x.2020.3.022
The principle of horticultural therapy is a kind of assistant therapy method which uses plants and plant related activities to improve the individuals physical, psychological or spiritual effects, so as to improve their health status and restore people's physical and mental functions. The idea of horticultural therapy originated from Europe and America in the 19 century. It has a history of more than 100 years. It has been proved that plants can alleviate human anxiety and promote physical health for a long time. Horticultural therapy is carried out through group work and horticultural therapy activities with plants as the media. At present, there are different definitions of horticultural therapy in different countries and disciplines. Li Shuhua[1], a domestic scholar, proposed that horticultural therapy referred to the use of plant growth environment and related activities to restore and maintain people's physical and mental health and improve the quality of life. It is generally accepted in the world that the American Horticultural Association defines horticultural therapy as: horticultural therapy refers to the use of horticultural activities and plant cultivation to improve people's spirit and body and play a beneficial role in many aspects such as body and mind[1].
With the development of the times, the social competition is more and more intense. Horticultural therapy helps to build a sense of ability, self-worth, enhance self-confidence, enhance social interaction, obtain positive support energy, and improve health quality. College students (usually 18-25 years old) are between the middle and late adolescence and early adulthood, which is the transition stage from teenagers to adults. According to the view of development psychology, most of...