From forests and men
How forests actually give real inner strength to human beings and have a salubrious effect on the mind and body. An eye-level encounter despite the fundamentally different nature of the entities. Reflection on the value of the last places of refuge and the forest as “medicine”.
“The forest only echoes back what you shout into it.” It’s a pity that this German phrase is only an expression. But wouldn’t it be interesting to know what the forest would actually answer back? Despite all our shouting, we don’t know. But the law of nature firmly established in folk medicine for centuries now is that forests are good for us humans. Along with their wide range of produce, they have a healing and protective effect, and give strength, far removed from the frenzied urban whirl. Traditional Western medicine was not willing to believe this for a long time (and to some extent does not believe it even today) and dismissed the natural remedies produced as esoteric nonsense or charlatanry. But when you see the growing number of people who are retiring to the forests to embrace trees, there seems to be something to it. Even if this close bonding with trees is met with bewildered laughter in this part of the world, it has always been completely natural and serves a function in the animal kingdom.
Koalas, Cows and Monkeys
Koalas hug trees to cool their bodies without losing water in the process. Other animals too make use of the healing effect of plants. For instance, cows with joint pain lie down among buttercups. Monkeys, for example, eat vitex doniana, the black plums that are thought to help remedy snake bites and to help the healing process after viral diseases such as yellow fever. And many of the things that work for animals cannot be that bad for us as people either.
Forests are good for your health
Studies have proved that especially Swiss pine and spruce significantly lower our pulse rate. Oaks stimulate blood circulation and the sap of the birch, a “light-tree” and a symbol of renewal, detoxifies and makes skin beautiful. A study conducted in 2009 in 24 Japanese forests also found a lowering of cortisol levels, blood pressure and sympathetic nervous system activity. It is not surprising that with so many good effects, the Japanese even have a special term for the feeling of being one with the forest and soaking up its atmosphere: Shinrin-yoku, which literally translates as “forest bathing”. The only question is: what really lies behind “green medicine”?
With all the senses
Since the earliest days, our human body has been strongly responsive to the organic material wood. Being a sensitive measuring device, it discerns wood not just visually but also through touch or sense of smell. “As it is a familiar material, our body knows that wood is not harmful and instinctively reacts by switching over to relaxation and rest”, explains timber entrepreneur and forester Erwin Thoma, who, together with the doctor Maximilian Moser, has written the book “Die sanfte Medizin der Bäume” (The Gentle Medicine of the Trees). One thing is well known: trees communicate with each other and with plants and animals. And what about present-day communication between human beings and trees? According to a forestry education study, over fifty percent of Austrians spend their spare time in the forest. Nevertheless, our knowledge about the forest is rather poor. Who owns the forest? Who tends to it and shoulders responsibility for it? How can the forest be used in an ecologically and economically viable way? Young people’s relationship with the forest in particular is a very loose connection which is fickle and runs the risk of snapping off in environmentally turbulent times. On the other hand, it is precisely in turbulent times that the longing to experience and explore nature, and to engage with the forest, to return to your own natural roots of humanity becomes increasingly important. It would be wonderful to do both ourselves and the forest more good.
From the forest to your home
Last but not least, the forest is also the inspiration for a product that is particularly close to our hearts: our parquet in all its varieties. Thanks to our careful processing of the natural product wood with absolutely environmentally friendly methods, materials tested for harmful substances and refinements with natural treatments, we see it as our passion and our task to bring the advantages of the forest into your home - for a sustainably healthy indoor climate that delights all of your senses. Our products are produced exclusively in Austria and with green electricity from our in-house photovoltaic system and meet the highest requirements worldwide in terms of sustainability and zero emissions. Discover the quality of our parquet floors.
