Phytoncides are volatile, biologically active substances produced by higher plants that kill or suppress the vital activity of microorganisms. He discovered phytoncides in the 30s of the XX century. Soviet biologist B.P. Tokin. Phytoncides are contained in essential oils, resins, tannins and other compounds. Many of them are formed in plants only when tissues are damaged. At the same time, the amount of phytoncides quickly increases to that necessary to protect exposed tissues. Coniferous trees emit phytoncides throughout the year, and deciduous trees mainly in the summer. The greatest number of them is released from May to October.
According to the degree of phytoncidity, tree and shrub species are divided into:
highly phytoncidal - balsam fir, common juniper, bird cherry, pedunculate oak, Norway maple, silver birch, downy birch, Scots pine, Norway spruce, aspen, common hazel;
medium phytoncidal - Siberian larch, common ash, small-leaved linden, black alder, Siberian pine, rowan, yellow acacia, common lilac, Tatarian honeysuckle;
weakly phytoncidal - common elm, warty euonymus, red elderberry, laxative buckthorn.
Among the shrubs and herbal plants, wild rosemary, stinging nettle, lily of the valley, etc. have high phytoncidal properties.
Impact of air pollution on forests
As a result of the activities of industrial enterprises and factories, the atmosphere contains foreign impurities in suspension: flue and oil gases, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric anhydride, hydrogen fluoride, fluorine, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, oxides of nitrogen, carbon, heavy metals, dust emissions and other connections. There are about 140 harmful substances in industrial dust emissions alone.
Harmful chemicals (pollutants) reduce the growth and fruiting of trees and cause them to become dry. They destroy the integumentary tissues of leaves and needles, inhibit the intensity of photosynthesis, change the acidity of cell sap, and disrupt the action of enzymes and the water regime of plants. Pollutants are especially destructive for evergreen species, which do not shed their foliage (needles) for the winter and, along with it, are not freed from a significant part of harmful substances.
The degree of resistance of tree and shrub species to harmful gases varies and depends on the type and phase of plant development, gas concentration, weather and soil conditions, plant density, distance from the forest edge and sources of pollution. The sensitivity of a plant to harmful gases also varies and depends on the type and concentration of the gas, soil fertility, intensity of photosynthesis and respiration, total water content in the leaves, age of the plant, season of the year and the condition of the tree species.
According to gas resistance, tree and shrub species are divided into five classes: to 1st grade include breeds most stable, to 5 – least. For conifers, class 1 is excluded; for deciduous trees - 5th. The same breed has unequal sensitivity at different ages - at young and old ages the resistance is weaker.
1 class gas resistance: no conifers; deciduous: elm, red oak, black and gray alder, holly willow, spirea, angustifolia.
2nd grade gas resistance: larches: European, Sukacheva, Siberian, Japanese; Cossack juniper, western thuja, yew berry, pedunculate oak, deltoid poplar, lanceolate ash; common elm, gray and goat willows; forest apple tree, common pear tree, caragana tree, evergreen boxwood.
Gas resistance class 3: prickly spruce, Douglas fir, common juniper; common ash, Tatarian and Norway maples, balsam poplar, small-leaved linden.
Gas resistance class 4: Weymouth, Crimean, Siberian pine; horse chestnut, oriental beech, rowan, white and black poplars, bird cherry, silver and downy birch, field maple, white acacia.
Gas resistance class 5: Siberian fir, European spruce, Scots pine; There are no hardwoods.
The forest greatly contributes to the purification of dust from the air and prevents its spread. Dust settled on the needles and leaves of trees is washed off by rain onto the ground. A dense forest covering an area of 1 hectare can “filter” up to 70 tons of dust per year from the air.
All plants secrete phytoncides. Phytoncides are volatile plant substances. The chemical composition of phytoncides has not been established, but their ability to cure many diseases has been known since ancient times. The most active phytoncides of onion, garlic, St. John's wort, fir, yarrow, radish, carrots, cranberries, mint, plantain, and sage. Along with the bactericidal (kill microbes) and bacteriostatic (suppresses the vital activity of microorganisms) effects, phytoncides have a beneficial effect on the function of the ciliated epithelium of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and the tone of the bronchial muscles, thereby facilitating breathing in bronchial asthma.
Tree phytoncides
When in contact with living nature, a person naturally inhales phytoncides. Volatile substances from horse chestnut, European larch, pine and common ash reduce the concentration of harmful substances in the surrounding air, especially for asthmatics, including gases - carbon monoxide, nitrogen and sulfur. Phytoncides from many plants contribute to dust settling.
Downy and stone oak, ash, lemon wormwood, rosemary have a calming effect, improve cardiac activity and breathing.
Inhaling the phytoncides of ground fresh chamomile, wormwood, and lingonberry leaves clears the respiratory tract of pathogenic microbes. Phytoncides of evergreen walnuts, Italian and Crimean pine trees, Himalayan cedar, and cypress have a general strengthening and normalizing effect on immune reactions.
It has been noticed that a person’s stay for 5-7 hours in pine, mixed or deciduous forests normalizes the activity of the nervous system and improves the functioning of the heart muscle.
Human presence in a pine-oak forest with a predominance of pine (80%) contributes to:
- a significant increase in the body's defenses;
- increased tissue respiration;
- acceleration of glycolysis and phosphorylation reactions;
- activation of phagocytosis.
Phytoncides of garlic, onion and fir especially enhance the phagocytic activity of blood leukocytes.
Functions of the forest
Forests and forest plantations (squares, parks) successfully carry out the function of dust deposition and regulation of atmospheric microflora. Coniferous forests cope with this matter in summer and winter. Deciduous forests are mainly active in the summer, when the abundant foliage performs the function of photosynthesis. Dust particles and microorganisms settle in the crowns of trees, especially in summer, so the air in forests and parks is cleaner and contains significantly fewer allergens than in areas of residential and industrial buildings, and especially near roads.
Dust particles and microorganisms, settling in the tree crowns, come into direct contact on the surface of the leaves with phytoncides secreted by the plant, which have a bactericidal and fungicidal (kills fungi) effect. The interaction of chemicals from industrial and automobile emissions with phytoncides occurs both on the surface of leaves and in the atmosphere.
Forests significantly reduce noise levels, even to the point of absorbing them at some distance from the source, so staying in the forest relieves excess neuromuscular tension and stress reactions.
Under the influence of volatile plant substances, the air is ozonized, the amount of useful light ions in the atmosphere increases, and the radioactive background decreases. The forest microclimate is useful for asthmatics - reducing temperature fluctuations and air speed, warming the soil, and sufficient solar radiation create gentle conditions for hypersensitive and hyperreactive human respiratory tracts. Oxygen produced by forests plays an important role. All this has a beneficial effect on the processes occurring in the body.
Pine phytoncides
Phytoncides from pine needles increase blood pressure in patients prone to hypertensive reactions (they are more sensitive to turpentine than healthy people), which is explained by the presence of pinene (turpentine) in the air. Therefore, staying in a pine forest is not recommended for people with high blood pressure.
Inhaling oak phytoncides, on the contrary, reduces blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Phytoncides of birch, thyme, and linden have an antispasmodic effect on the bronchi. Lilac, pyramidal poplar, bison tonify the nervous system.
Garlic phytoncides
For inflammatory lung diseases, it is recommended to inhale the garlic smell. To do this, peel 1 clove, grind it and wrap it in two pieces of cotton wool, which are placed in both nostrils. Inhale for 5-10-15 minutes 3-4 times a day. Ground garlic can be placed in a jar (keep closed) and inhaled, covered with a towel (sheet), 3-4 times a day.
Before each inhalation, you need to prepare fresh “porridge”.
A similar procedure can be performed with tincture of myrtle or fir, etc.
You can also inhale plant phytoncides through an inhaler. To do this, the juice of garlic or another plant is diluted with saline or just water in a ratio of 1:2, 1:3. The solution is poured into the drug container of the inhaler. Inhale for 10-15 minutes daily or every other day, 20-25 inhalations per course of treatment.
Medicinal properties of juniper
Juniper has a pronounced anti-asthmatic effect. This plant belongs to the cypress family. As you know, cypress was grown in ancient times near religious places of worship to purify the air and improve the health of the area. Common juniper (yalovets) is an evergreen coniferous shrub or tree.
Chemical composition
Its fruits are bluish-violet with a waxy coating and contain: sugar - 40%; little-studied bitter resins - 10%; oil with a high fat content, tannins, malic, formic and acetic acids, and terpene compounds of juniper berries contain menthol and camphor - essential oils - 2%. Juniper needles are rich in vitamin C - about 266 mg.
Juniper uses
Essential terpene oils have a pronounced antibacterial and antifungal effect, and therefore antiallergic, since bacteria and fungi are strong allergens.
In hot weather, juniper emits a strong aroma - its phytoncides (volatile essential compounds) purify and refresh the air.
Excellent conditions for patients with bronchial asthma are created by nature among the mountains covered with juniper thickets.
Almost all asthma sufferers feel better while in juniper groves. Children with asthma, sent to such sanatoriums for treatment, get rid of attacks from the first days of their stay and, at the end of the treatment period, go home practically healthy. But after leaving the sanatorium area, for most of them, after some time, attacks of bronchial asthma resume, but in a milder form.
Many doctors are convinced, however, that complete recovery in juniper groves is quite possible, but only after staying in this area for many years.
The healing effect of air is enhanced by the addition of an infusion of juniper berries as an expectorant and antispasmodic at the rate of 10 berries per 200.0 ml of water, 0.5 cups 2-3 times a day.
Attention! Among the junipers there is one poisonous species - the Cossack juniper. It is notable for having blue-black, lumpy berries. When preparing medicinal juniper berries, carefully avoid this poisonous variety.
An infusion of juniper berries with long-term use (take 2 months - 2 months off; repeat such alternations 2-3 times throughout the year) brings relief to those suffering from asthma even outside the sanatorium area.
The following articles on this topic will also help you.
We grow trees and shrubs mainly for their beauty and tasty fruits. However, these representatives of the flora can improve our health by releasing beneficial phytoncides.
What are phytoncides?
This is a complex of antimicrobial substances contained in plants. It includes terpenoids, alcohols, aldehydes, esters and other compounds that can kill or inhibit the growth and development of other organisms (mainly bacteria and fungi). The phenomenon of plant phytoncidity was discovered by the Soviet scientist Boris Tokin in the 30s of the 20th century. Literally it is translated as “killer plants” (from the Greek “phyton” - plant and the Latin “cido” - I kill). There is a persistent misconception that phytoncides are characteristic of a specific group of plants. They are attributed to coniferous trees and shrubs (primarily common juniper), as well as common myrtle, eucalyptus, rosemary and a number of other deciduous species. In fact, phytoncides are secreted by all plants, since they are one of the factors in their natural immunity. Currently, most scientists call phytoncides the term “volatile phytoorganic emissions of plants” (VPEO).
The main mechanism of action of phytoncides is associated with the formation of ozonides (charged ozone), which can destroy the DNA structures of microorganisms, as a result, the bactericidal activity of air increases at least 2-3 times. There are bactericidal and fungicidal effects (on bacteria and fungi), as well as bacteriostatic and fungistatic effects (when the growth and development of microorganisms slows down).
Not all fresh air is equally beneficial. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from plants can have positive and negative effects on human health. Thus, in the summer in a coniferous forest, when the period of maximum phytoncidal activity of trees is observed, high concentrations of volatile phytoncides from pine needles can cause allergies. Low concentrations of volatile phytoncides observed in the forest air in winter have a serious therapeutic effect on patients with cardiovascular diseases.
Staying in an oak forest in the summer months reduces blood pressure in patients with hypertension (by 6-12 mm Hg). In the pine forest at the same time, the blood pressure of the same patients increases (by 15-20 mm Hg). The pressure also increases when inhaling phytoncides of lilac flowers and young poplar leaves.
Phytoncides of birch wart have antispasmodic and bronchodilator effects. Patients' sleep normalizes, irritability decreases, shortness of breath and cough stop or decrease, and their mood improves. But we must remember that volatile phytoncides of pyramidal poplar (in May), linden and lilac flowers, and pine (in summer) are poorly tolerated by patients with asthmatic bronchitis and pneumosclerosis.
In general, during the growing season, 370-420 kg of LFOM are released into the atmosphere from 1 hectare of pine plantings, 320-405 kg of spruce plantings, 190-220 kg of birch plantings, and 170-190 kg of aspen plantings. The highest content of phytoncides is observed in a pine forest, then in plantations of spruce and larch, then in mixed coniferous-deciduous plantings, in birch and oak forests, aspen and maple trees.
Dynamics of phytoncides content
The amount of phytoncides released varies depending on the type of plant, its age, size, condition, soil and climatic conditions of the region, and environmental factors. 
Daily activity
In tree and shrub species, activity peaks around noon. In the morning, their content in the air is lower, for example, in pine and birch forests at this time the amount of phytoncides is 3-4 times lower than in the daytime, but their concentration is even lower in the evening - 7 times lower than during the day.
Seasonality
In most tree and shrub plants, phytoncidity gradually increases from spring, reaching its highest values in summer (June-August), then decreases. The well-known Cossack juniper in spring and summer, during active growth, releases 1.18-1.49 mg%/h, and in winter only 0.53 mg%/h.
Age
Young leaves of birch, other deciduous trees and pine needles produce more volatile substances than mature leaves of a later age. The release of phytoncides is also influenced by weather and some environmental factors. Thus, an increase in ambient temperature to +20...+25 °C almost doubles the concentration of phytoncides.
The flora that surrounds us is the greatest miracle and a generous divine gift, supplying natural phytoncides to protect against the effects of harmful microbes. And not only our physical health, but also the psycho-emotional component depends on how carefully we treat nature. Let's take a little closer look at how, where and when healing phytoncides are formed around us.
Natural phytoncides - form, quality, properties
Quite unnoticed in our world, in addition to plants, animals, insects and other creatures that we distinguish with our eyes, there is also an invisible microcosm, which is hordes of all kinds of bacteria and various microorganisms. And these microorganisms are invisibly nearby, in almost everything that surrounds us.
Even in such a seemingly harmless object as a lump of earth, almost 1.5 million microbes and bacteria live! And this microcosm can be conditionally divided into one that harms others, exists neutrally relative to them, and, finally, one that has a beneficial effect on the entire life activity of the planet. We already talked about the ratio of beneficial and harmful microbes when we considered the concept of using EM technologies in the garden.
Phytoncides and their effect on microorganisms
So, let’s say, “positive” microorganisms tirelessly and constantly cleanse the planet of various rot, unnecessary or diseased tissues. For example, take fallen leaves, which quickly decompose and become part of the same earth. All this happens not without the help of bacteria - it is they who significantly speed up the process of its processing, which frees up space from a mountain of already unnecessary foliage.
But “negative” microorganisms become the causes of all kinds of diseases, and it is necessary to protect ourselves from them. Animals have their own immunity to such microbes, protecting them from disease. What about plants? They also have their own defense system against harmful microorganisms and have, so to speak, antimicrobial properties.
This is expressed in the release by the plant of certain volatile substances into the atmosphere, which are capable of acting at a distance, or by the properties of the plant tissues themselves, where the antimicrobial effect occurs upon direct contact of the plant tissue and the pest. At the same time, plants help not only themselves, but also the entire world around them.
Such “useful” properties of plants have been noticed and used by humans for their own purposes for a very long time. All “greens” exhibit their disinfectant properties differently, and many human professions have used them for their own purposes. For example, plants such as hops, oregano, and wormwood counteract the development of putrefactive microbes, which was used by brewers and cooks. But thyme and tarragon have some preservative properties, which were successfully used by hunters who covered their prey with them.
Such antimicrobial substances secreted by the plant world are called “phytoncides”. Their existence was deduced and proved by the Russian scientist B.P. Tokin, from whom they got their name: “phyto” - plant, “cido” - I kill, a mixture of Greek and Latin.
The release of phytoncides in different plants occurs differently: in aboveground plants - into the air, in underground plants - into the ground, and in aquatic plants, respectively, into a reservoir. And the concentration of released phytoncides can be varied even in the same plants - it depends on the environmental conditions, the quality of the soil, and the state of the crop itself. For example, the fungicidal properties of clematis on rich fertile soils are much higher than on poor ones.
What plants produce phytoncides?
As already mentioned, a plant can secrete phytoncides either as a volatile substance or as damaged plant tissue. By the way, it is not necessarily injured leaves that can release medicinal phytoncides; it is the strength of a healthy leaf. For example, an oak leaf actively and successfully destroys ciliates if they suddenly land on the leaf.
But the strongest enemies of Staphylococcus aureus are bird cherry and linden. Poplar and birch trees are recognized as the fastest in destroying microbes. Therefore, it is not for nothing that forests are called the “lungs” of the globe - they not only release oxygen, but also literally clean the surrounding air, killing all harmful and dangerous microbes. A person, inhaling this air, also cleanses his lungs. After all, every year, thanks to the “greens,” 490 million tons of volatile disinfectants end up in the atmosphere!
It is a mistake to think that only some plants emit phytoncides; in fact, all plants emit volatile phytoorganic secretions, because their appearance is a natural reaction of the immune system. Volatile phytoncides released by plants, trees, and other crops protect the whole world from harmful bacteria and microbes.
They work effectively not only in close proximity, but also at a distance. And their activities can be easily verified using the simplest examples. For example, the most harmless thing is a bouquet of fresh lilies or bird cherry branches. They release their aroma, but if you leave them in a vase indoors, after some time a person will start to have a headache. This is what reveals the effect of phytoncides.
And if finely chopped leaves of the same bird cherry are placed under some kind of impenetrable cap, and a fly is placed there, then you can be sure that after a certain number of hours the insect will be dead, poisoned by phytoncides. The same thing will happen if you place a mouse under a hood - it will be poisoned before it suffocates from lack of air. In general, it is better to scare away rodents with elderberry branches; they really don’t like its smell.
The same natural phytoncides that exist in the tissue, in the sap of the plant, are released upon direct contact with microbes and bacteria. Therefore, the sap of many trees is disinfectant and antimicrobial.
The presence of phytoncides in the world is a salvation, but the number of plants on the planet needs to be monitored, increasing their number - planting new forests, planning plantings, and engaging in urban gardening, which is especially important. The presence of the simplest, most basic colors is also important in the apartments. For example, geranium and begonia reduce the number of harmful microorganisms in an apartment by 43%, and chrysanthemum by as much as 66! But some “overseas” plants are also useful - these include myrtle and eucalyptus.
Plants also have one more important quality - the ability, when exposed to the sun, to release electrons from the surface of the leaf, that is, to ionize the surrounding air. The ionization of air that occurs improves its quality, which means it has a beneficial effect on the general condition of a person. The degree of ionization plays an important role here. After all, for example, it has been proven that the most healing air is mountain air. It is in it that there are about 20,000 negative ions per cm³, while in industrial areas their concentration ranges from 100 to 500 and not thousands, but just pieces!
Forests are the planet’s protective belt from harmful microorganisms
Pine is one of the most famous “phytoncidal” plants, and people have been using it for a very long time. One has only to remember the countless number of sanatoriums, boarding houses, and hospital complexes built in pine forests. By inhaling pine air, a person’s lungs, like his entire body, are, to one degree or another, cleansed of various microbes. And the risk of catching a cold practically disappears. Coniferous forest releases about 5 kg of volatile phytoncides per day.
Juniper is also a fairly strong disinfectant plant, and in terms of the amount of phytoncides it produces, it probably takes first place. Juniper forests become a source of about 30 kg of volatile substances every day. This is about 6 times more than all other conifers. What can we say about deciduous forests, which produce 15 times less phytoncides under comparable conditions? But this plant is too sensitive to the environment - its pollution threshold is exceeded (for example, industrial production in the city), then the juniper simply dies. That is why he is a rare visitor near cities.
The deciduous forest releases 2 kg of healing phytoncides every day. But, despite the fact that, in comparison with coniferous forests, this seems to be not enough, this is far from the case. Deciduous forests also successfully fight microorganisms, purifying the air. For example, in a sterile operating room, the presence of harmless microbes is allowed in an amount of 500 per cubic meter. And in a birch forest, you can count only 450 microbes in one cubic meter. Oak also acts as a powerful orderly for the surrounding world, keeping bacteria and germs away. But maple can not only kill bacteria, but also absorb harmful formations, such as benzene.
All this speaks of the extremely positive impact of forests on the health of the entire planet and humans in particular. That’s why it’s so important to go out into nature – where there are flowering meadows, fields, forests. They will help cleanse and heal the body.
Natural phytoncides that enter the human body through the lung systems, as well as through the skin, have a negative effect on the bacteria located there, inhibit disease processes, kill microbes, inhibit the aging process, and exhibit anti-infective properties.
Phytoncides also have a beneficial effect on the digestive system and normalize blood pressure. But not only. Separately, it is worth noting the positive effect of inhaling phytoncides on the human psyche.
The healing effect of forests on humans can be seen in the following examples - people who live in forest areas have healthier respiratory organs, lungs, and cleaner airways.
In the real world, where technology, industry, and progress come first, man deprives himself of such natural sources of health and good mood as nature. Healing, cleansing forest and field air, which naturally helps a person get healthy and keeps his body in order. Less and less time is allocated for this. Therefore, it is so important to pay attention to at least abundant landscaping in cities: planting flower beds, improving lawns, creating public gardens and parks, planting shrubs and trees along the roads. And, of course, you shouldn’t forget about your own apartment; there should also be green friends in it, not only to disinfect the air in the room, but also to give joy with their appearance. What is important to us in plants is not only their natural phytoncides, but also their aesthetic appearance, right?
Phytoncides (from the Greek φυτóν - “plant” and Lat. caedo - “I kill”) are biologically active substances produced by plants that kill or suppress the growth and development of bacteria, microscopic fungi, and protozoa. Phytoncides are all fractions of volatile substances secreted by plants, including those that are almost impossible to collect in noticeable quantities. These phytoncides are also called “native antimicrobial substances of plants.” The chemical nature of phytoncides is essential for their function, but is not explicitly indicated in the term “phytoncides”. This may be a complex of compounds, for example, terpenoids, or the so-called. secondary metabolites. Typical representatives of phytoncides are essential oils extracted from plant materials using industrial methods. Native phytoncides play an important role in plant immunity and in the relationships between organisms in biogeocenoses. The release of a number of phytoncides increases when plants are damaged. Volatile phytoncides (VVA) are capable of exerting their effect at a distance, for example, phytoncides of leaves of oak, eucalyptus, pine and many others. The strength and spectrum of the antimicrobial action of phytoncides are very diverse. Phytoncides of garlic, onion, horseradish, and red pepper kill many types of protozoa, bacteria and lower fungi in the first minutes and even seconds. Volatile phytoncides destroy protozoa (ciliates) and many insects in a short time (hours or minutes). Phytoncides are one of the factors in the natural immunity of plants (plants sterilize themselves with the products of their vital activity). Thus, fir phytoncides kill whooping cough bacillus (the causative agent of dysentery and typhoid fever); pine phytoncides are destructive to Koch's bacillus (the causative agent of tuberculosis) and E. coli; birch and poplar infect the microbe Staphylococcus aureus. The phytoncides of wild rosemary and ash are quite poisonous to humans as well - you should be careful with these plants. The protective role of phytoncides is manifested not only in the destruction of microorganisms, but also in the suppression of their reproduction, in the negative chemotaxis of mobile forms of microorganisms, in stimulating the vital activity of microorganisms that are antagonists of pathogenic forms for a given plant, in repelling insects, etc. a hectare of pine forest releases about 5 kilograms of volatile phytoncides per day into the atmosphere, a juniper forest - about 30 kg/day, reducing the amount of microflora in the air. Therefore, in coniferous forests (especially in young pine forests) the air is practically sterile (contains only about 200-300 bacterial cells per 1 m³), which is of interest to hygienists, landscaping specialists, etc... In medical practice, onion, garlic, horseradish preparations are used , St. John's wort (drug imanin), etc. Plants containing phytoncides for the treatment of purulent wounds, trophic ulcers, Trichomonas colpitis. Phytoncides of a number of other plants stimulate the motor and secretory activity of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiac activity.
