10 Houseplants to Bio-Hack Your Happy

Close your eyes and picture your front door. When you open the front door, imagine a stream of water flowing forth to cover all the areas in your home. Does the water flow freely? Is there anything that blocks the flow of water, such as clutter, a staircase, or an errant side table? Which dark corners and crevices stay dry? Now, imagine that the flow of water is the flow of energy, and you’ll realize that the exercise you just participated in is one of the oldest principles of the ancient Chinese pseudoscience of Feng Shui.

You don’t have to be an award-winning interior designer to apply or even understand any of the principles of Feng Shui. At its heart, to practice Feng Shui is to monitor and direct the flow of chi, or energy which passes through your home. However, many of the principles of this practice may already be in use in your daily life, such as keeping the toilet seat down and doors closed, arranging bedroom furniture to face the doorway, and/or removing clutter from your living space. 

The addition or subtraction of objects in the home and the arrangement of all furnishings work together to direct a positive flow of energy through your living spaces with Feng Shui. For example, placing a mirror at the end of each hallway will widen the space, invite more light, and prevent the bad energy of a closed space or dead end. Placing plants in corners and “dead spaces” in the home will invite growth and “protect” you from the bad energy that comes from sharp objects. Crystals can fill in dead spots devoid of chi, direct light, and invite good energy into the home. 

Though the principles of Feng Shui may seem a little odd to you at first, it’s interesting to note that modern science backs up these ancient principles more than you might think. In this post, I’m going to be talking about the areas in your home that may need a little help from Feng Shui, specifically from plants. Plants are one of the easiest ways to incorporate these ancient methods into your lifestyle, and science suggests they’re good for a lot more than positive energy. So let’s get into the top 10 houseplants you need in your life!

Money Plants

Money plants are the first category of Feng Shui plants I’ll be going over. The idea is that having one of these in your home will open your life and the life of your business up to wealth, prosperity, and success. Place a money plant in your center for success, wealth, or fame in the home.

1 - Lucky Bamboo

Lucky bamboo, or spiral bamboo, is meant to bring good luck (as the name suggests) and wealth into your home. The number of stalks on the plant will determine which areas of your life the plant brings the most luck. The eight stalked lucky bamboo is the best for wealth.

2 - Money Tree

As its title indicates, the money tree will introduce fortune into the areas of health, money, or fame. Money trees are especially fortuitous at the time of a new business venture or other chapters in life. Never grow a money tree from anyone else’s cutting, however. It’s considered to be very bad luck for fortune.

3 - Jade Plant

The jade plant is a popular choice in the money plant category, and it’s known for its ability in encouraging success. The round shape of the jade leaves is thought to resemble coins, which is part of what makes this little plant so lucky. Unlike the other money plants, you may place a jade plant in the “health” area of your home, in addition to the “money” and “fame” areas of the home. 

Purifying Plants

Purifying plants are the next category we’ll be talking about. Essentially, having these plants around will keep the air clear and protect you and your home from anything harmful thing, real or not, that’s floating around out there. Place any one of these in your entryway, area of living, or area for the family in your home to reap the greatest benefits. 

4 - Peace Lily

The peace lily is the essential purifying plant. The lily has a natural ability to cancel out many of the dangerous organic compounds produced by our modern machinery, such as air conditioning units. The peace lily is great for cleansing the air in an office space. 

5 - Snake Plant

Also known as the Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, the snake plant is sometimes thought to bring bad energy because of its spiky shape, but it is actually one of the more powerful purifying plants. The snake plant can collect allergens, that would otherwise enter your living space, and decontaminate them. Set one up in your entryway to protect your whole home.

6 - Sage

Sage is one of the easiest plants to grow and maintain, and its purifying properties go far beyond the reaches of Feng Shui. Infusing your home with sage can break down pathogens and lighten the energy in your home. Sage can be grown indoors or outdoors.

These findings can also be applied to daily health and life, so your plants really are purifying the air and helping you get healthier, in one way or another. 

Calming Plants

The next type of Feng Shui plants I’ll be discussing are plants for calming, relaxation, and rest. While many different types of plants can bring a calming and serene effect into our homes, few plants exist for this purpose that have the science to back them up. In general, according to the principles of Feng Shui, you want to avoid having plants in the bedroom. The idea is that the energy and growth of the plant are too much and it will keep you up at night. The orchid, however, is a different story. 

7 - Orchid

The orchid invites serenity, and it is one of the only plants recommended to be placed in a bedroom or a place of rest. The flowering buds of the plant invite warmth, good energy, and symbolize romance. Orchids should only be placed in an area for creativity, spirituality, love, or rest.

Livening Plants

The last category of Feng Shui plants I’ll be discussing is livening plants. These plants will brighten up any space, clear the air, make a space bigger, and keep the flow of energy rolling throughout your whole home. 

8 - Golden Pothos

The golden pothos is one of the most powerful plants for introducing good energy into a dead space. According to principles of Feng Shui, these plants should be placed in areas out of reach of the flow of energy, like the tops of cabinets or dark corners.

9 - Boston Fern

The Boston fern is the most welcoming of the plants. It’s a powerhouse in destroying pathogens, (like formaldehyde, the plant’s specialty). NASA plant research from the 1980’s also indicated the Boston Fern as one of the best plants for purifying the air. Place one of these in the entryway to the home to keep air flowing. 

10 - Ficus

The ficus is another air-purifying plant, and the lenth and height of this plant have the ability to visually “lift a ceiling.” Keep the ficus in the center of your home for creativity or spirituality and a little more mental clarity or a mood boost. 

Plants are a huge part of the ancient Chinese pseudoscience of Feng Shui, but if you don’t believe in it, that’s okay. And, if the only reason you want to own plants is so your house will be more instagram-able, fine. But now you know the science, and the science says this: plants have a place in our lives. They produce oxygen for us to breathe, they might help us be more productive workers, but above all, they make us happier. Can’t argue with that.