A top physician says more GPs should prescribe gardening as a complementary treatment

Sir Richard Thompson (left), once the Queen’s Physician and former President of Royal College of Physicians, said the scientific evidence that gardening was good for health and wellbeing was stacking up.

Addressing this week’s All-Party Parliamentary Gardening & Horticultural Group’s annual receptioin at the Commons, Sir Richard, a lifelong gardener, said US trials thad shown people got better more quickly and took fewer painkillers if they could look out of the window at greenery, as opposed to sculpture.

As a Patron of the Thrive charity, he had seen for himself how mental and physical health can be improved. Stroke patients could recover their balance and strength by working in the garden.

“I hope the industry will consistently push benefits to health of people buying their products and gardening,” he said.  Exercise was important too in disease prevenion, including cancer, with new claims that 10-15 per cent of the causes of cancer are down to lack of exercise. Trees and plants also helped to control climate change.

Gardens and plants directly and indirectly benefited to personal health and had wider national and international affects. “I  would like more GPs to prescribe gardening, a cheap form of complementary treatment.  There's a free gym outside your window.” he said.