Jade plants or money trees are among the most popular houseplant choices in the world. They’re also one of the best plant gifts you can give to your partner, friend, or family.
These succulents have an easy-to-care-for nature and beautiful foliage that make them stand out from the rest. They can bring a touch of nature and a range of benefits to your or your loved one’s home.
In this article, we’ll break down each of the numerous benefits you can get from growing a jade plant. We’ll discuss everything, from their attractive foliage to their ability to enhance your well-being!
About Jade Plants
Jade plants, or Crassula ovata, are succulent plants from the Crassula genus of the Crassulaceae family. They’re native to South Africa, specifically in KwaZulu-Natal and the nine Eastern Cape provinces.
They’re popular houseplants around the world because of their low-maintenance nature and beautiful foliage. They’re also relatively easy to propagate, needing only leaf cuttings to propagate successfully.
Jade plants have numerous varieties, including red dwarf jade plant, monstuosa, and undulata. Variegated jade plants are also starting to become more and more popular because of their unique appearance.
Benefits You Can Get from Growing Jade Plants
Improves Home’s Aesthetic
Jade plants’ glossy, oval-shaped leaves can add a touch of elegance and uniqueness to your home’s interior design. They can match any interior style, including Scandinavian, industrial, modern, minimalist, and bohemian.
They’re also not fussy plants, so you can grow them in various decorative planters to improve their ornamental value. You can also place them anywhere in the house since they can adapt to various lighting conditions.
If the common jade plant doesn’t suit your taste, you can check out other varieties of the plant. A silver jade plant has silvery green leaves surrounded by a red-like blush, giving it a more unique look.
Air Purifying Properties
Our homes have air pollutants that we’re usually not aware of. The products we use, like paints, air fresheners, and perfumes, can cause invisible pollutants that have adverse health effects.
Jade plants are natural air purifiers that can help remove these air pollutants, like volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It’s among the most effective plants at removing toluene according to a study at the State University of New York at Oswego.
These VOCs can also trigger common allergies and asthma, so keeping a jade plant at home can greatly help avoid this.
Improves Mental Health
Jade plants are no therapist, but they can sure boost your mental health. Interacting with and taking care of plants, like jade plants, can be a great way to de-stress according to one study.
Watching your plant grow and thrive can be therapeutic and bring you a sense of accomplishment. Plus, having some greenery around improves the home’s vibe, making it cozier and more pleasant.
That said, growing plants shouldn’t be treated as a substitute for professional help. They can help to reduce stress, but it’s still best to seek a professional’s help if you’re dealing with serious mental health issues.
Absorbs Carbon Dioxide at Night
Jade plants, like snake plants and many other succulents, follow a specialized form of photosynthesis called Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) that allows them to absorb carbon dioxide at night and improve air quality.
This characteristic of jade plants can help you have better sleep at night due to the minimal presence of carbon dioxide and improved air quality. It can also help avoid headaches and dizziness brought on by elevated CO2 levels.
Unless you’re a big fan of feng shui, you can keep a jade plant on your bedside table. The plant can improve your quality of sleep and give you a cozier space for you to rest after a long day at work.
Believed to Bring Good Luck
Jade plants are often associated with good luck and positive energy in Chinese culture and feng shui practices. They’re even called “money trees” by some Chinese gardeners due to their coin-shaped leaves that resemble jade gemstones.
In feng shui, it’s believed that jade plants can attract positive energy and prosperity. It’s believed that putting it in the southeastern corner of your home can bring you good luck and financial success.
Some feng shui experts also recommend placing them near doors and windows to protect the home from negative energy and attract positive energy into the home.
Increases Indoor Humidity
Low humidity inside the home can lead to a lot of discomfort. It can trigger asthma, irritate the eyes, lead to dry, flaky skin, cause sore throat, and more.
Hence, it’s advisable for those with a significantly low humidity level to use a humidifier. But indoor plants like jade plants, pothos, and peace lilies can increase humidity levels, too, though they aren’t as effective as electric humidifiers.
Jade plants, like other plants, release moisture in the air through transpiration, effectively making their environment relatively humid.
Easy to Care For
Jade plants are among the easiest plants to grow because of how low maintenance they are. They can be perfect houseplant gifts for your loved ones who are experienced or novice gardeners.
They’re succulents, so they can withstand drought by storing water in their leaves, making them perfect for busy individuals. They can also tolerate a wide range of light conditions despite their preference for bright, indirect sunlight.
Jade plants also don’t require heavy feeding and are relatively pest-resistant. They can live for years and provide you with a splash of green without much effort on your part.
Medicinal Properties
Jade plants don’t just purify the air; they also have medicinal properties that can treat various ailments. They were widely used in Chinese traditional medicine and by some African tribes to treat wounds, skin conditions, and digestive disorders.
Chinese people used to treat skin warts by using jade plant leaves. They also used to boil the leaves with milk to cure diarrhea and upset stomach.
It’s worth noting, though, that these were historical uses of the plant, and there are limited scientific studies proving jade plants’ medicinal properties. Always seek a medical professional’s help when trying to use jade plants to cure some ailments.
Improves Productivity
You might not believe us if we say green plants, including jade plants, can help improve your productivity, but it’s actually true. In fact, there has been research done to support this claim.
In 2014, researchers from the Netherlands and the UK compared the productivity levels of workers when there’s a plant in the office and when there isn’t. Their test showed a 15% improvement in productivity when plants were added to the office.
Although the effect can still vary from person to person, there’s nothing wrong with trying. You can gift the plant to your kid who’s preparing for an exam, to a friend who just got a job, or you can get one for your workspace.