Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41899682›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2026

Smelling Wellness: Associations Between Botanic Garden Scentscapes and Human Health Gains.

Molly Rose Tucker, William Kay, Kieran Storer, Anya Lindström Battle, Katherine Willis

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Molly Rose TuckerDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3EL, UK.ORCID 0009-0002-5463-4239
William KayDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3EL, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2561-4856
Kieran StorerDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3EL, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-9844-7174
Anya Lindström BattleDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3EL, UK.
Katherine WillisDepartment of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3EL, UK.

Funding

Leverhulme Trust RC-2021-76University of Oxford John Fell Oxford University Press Research Fund
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This pilot study investigated whether ambient biogenic volatile organic compounds (bVOCs)-scent profiles emitted by botanic glasshouse vegetation-could contribute to quantifiable human health and wellbeing outcomes. Over 11 months in 2024 (January-December), human participant trials were conducted at the Oxford Botanic Garden to compare the physiological and psychological effects associated with spending 30 min exposures in five different vegetation-rich glasshouses, each characterised by a distinct and complex bVOCs profile, with those of a plant-free room. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted on 43 participants, using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), heart-beat rate (beats per minute), and heart rate variability (HRV): the latter two are widely used as an index of regulation of the autonomic nervous system. Significant reductions in STAI anxiety scores and decreases in heart-beat rate were observed, while HRV indices remained stable, relative to the plant-free room, following glasshouse exposure. Distinct scent profiles in the glasshouses included compounds that have previously shown associations with therapeutic effects in clinical settings, indicating the potential of these scented vegetation-rich glasshouse environments to promote the beneficial health effects observed in this study. Overall, these findings highlight the potential public health value of aromatic plant species and the importance of incorporating them into urban green space planning and policy.

Indexed as

GardensPlantsPsychological Well-BeingSmellVolatile Organic CompoundsAdultAnxietyAromatherapyFemaleHeart RateHorticultureHumansMaleOdorantsOlfactory PerceptionPilot ProjectsVolatile Organic Compoundsanxietybiogenic volatile organic compoundshealthmonoterpenesphysiological indices

Identifiers

PMID41899682
PMCPMC13026806

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.