What are Succulents Good For: 10 Surprising Benefits of Succulents

These days, succulents are one of the trendiest houseplants due to their beautiful exterior and low maintenance requirements. A lesser-known fact, though, is that there are plenty of other uses and benefits of succulents besides making an amazing home décor.

Today, we’ll be covering ten of the amazing benefits of succulents in your home. If you don’t already have succulents, check out these marvelous wonders succulents can do in your life.

What Are Succulents Good For?

1. Succulents Help You Breathe Better – Even at Night!

During the process of photosynthesis, succulents release oxygen while absorbing our respiratory waste (carbon dioxide), keeping our air fresh, pure, and clean. Some succulents even produce oxygen at night, such as the snake plant a.k.a. Mother-in-Law’s Tongue, aloe vera, and Christmas cactus.

These succulents are ideal for the bedroom as they provide an extra boost of refreshed air during your sleep that ultimately leads to a better night’s sleep.

2. Succulents Purify the Air

Some succulents, like snake plant and aloe vera, are particularly good at removing toxins from the air. Studies, including those performed by NASA, have consistently shown snake plants to remove 87 percent of volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, and nitrogen oxides.

These plants are extra helpful in library and study environments because VOC substances like benzene and formaldehyde are found in rugs, cigarette smoke, grocery bags, books and ink.

NASA, whose study purposed to determine how to clean the air in space stations, recommends at least 15 to 18 medium-to-large size snake plants for a 1,800 square-foot home. Succulents also humidify the air, which improves the air quality in your home even more. So ditch that loud, noisy air purifier and get yourself some succulents!

3. Succulents Have Healing Powers

Lots of succulents have healing properties and have been used throughout history to treat medical problems like cuts, burns, stomachaches and more. Among the succulents used for healing are:

Agave

Agave has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties and was traditionally used to treat cuts and burns and speed up wound healing. In Central America, people use agave for anything from stomach ulcers and jaundice to toothaches and menstrual problems.

The leaves of the agave plant are even woven to make mats and paper. Agave juice is rich in isoflavonoids, alkaloids, and vitamins B, C, D, and K. But before you go adding it to every recipe, you should know that too much agave can cause digestive upset, and pregnant women should avoid it.

Aloe vera

Aloe vera is known to help reduce inflammation, especially in the digestive tract, so lots of people drink it to help with stomach problems. Its gel has tons of benefits for the skin and is a common ingredient in body lotions and face creams.

Cacti

Cacti are great plants to have around for calmness, relaxation and intensive healing issues. One cactus, in particular, the prickly pear, contains high levels of fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids, and betalains (which are a rare type of antioxidant). It has been recommended as a food (grilled or boiled and eaten whole), as a supplement, or to drink as juice.

Other traditions use it as a treatment for diarrhea, asthma, high blood pressure, and gastric acidity, but they have not been supported by research.

Stone crops

Some succulents like the stonecrops which are leafy succulents have the ability to lower high blood pressure. Just by eating its leaves in the right quantity can lower the blood pressure.

Yucca

Historically, yucca was used to soothe scratches and cuts and even as a treatment for dry cuticles. The yucca plant contains saponins, which are chemical compounds that have exhibited anti-inflammatory properties.

Many herbalists and healers recommend boiling the roots for about half an hour and drinking it as tea to relieve pain from inflammatory conditions like arthritis.

And although the research in humans isn’t conclusive, some laboratory studies have suggested that its compounds display properties similar to drugs commonly used to treat joint pain.

Yucca is also rich in vitamins A, B, and C and is a good source of copper, calcium, manganese, potassium, and fiber—making it a potent health food and another succulent that seems to do it all.

4. Succulents Improve Your Focus and Increase Your Productivity

You already knew that keeping succulents on your desk can give you a boost of happiness at work, but did you know that it can improve your focus and productivity too?

That’s right!

A number of studies of both students and workers have found that concentration, attentiveness and brain capabilities improve when studying or working with plants in the room.

A University of Michigan study found that memory retention improved by as much as 20 percent when plants were present. Small plants like succulents are especially beneficial at work, as they don’t take up a lot of space on your desk.

Whether it’s the color and texture that calms the mind or the reminder of nature that makes us feel relaxed, indoor plants are known to improve our mood and concentration. Having succulents and cacti in your home or office will also make your day productive, peaceful and rewarding.

Your succulent habit will more than pay for itself because of that raise you’ll get at work for being super productive!

5. Succulents are Easy to Look After

Succulents do not require high amounts of water so they are very easy to look after. Just be sure to choose the right succulents for the right place (low-light succulents for indoors and sun-loving succulents for outdoors) and you won’t have much problem taking care of them.

However, even if you’re not keeping the right succulents in the right places, they will not die. It’s true what they say, succulents are hard to kill.

6. Succulents Adapt to Circumstances

Succulents have the ability to adapt to changes very quickly. Coming from arid regions they are likely to live with extensive sunlight and less water. But when brought to wet and humid climates, they adapt themselves to the damp climate circumstances.

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7. Caring for Succulents Reduces Stress

Studies have shown that tending to your plants can help reduce your blood pressure, calm you down, and recover from the stress of all the mental tasks you completed during the day.

Since succulents are low-maintenance plants and hard to kill, they might even reduce your stress more than other houseplants. If you follow all of our succulent care tips, caring for them will be a breeze.

8. Succulents Make a Cool Gift

Do you know someone that could use a little bit of cheer? Succulents and cacti arrangements also make a cool gift. Affordable, simple to transport, and easy to care for, consider giving the gift of health with succulent containers or baskets.

This Earth Day, consider bringing more plant life into your home or purchase a gift for a coworker or loved one. Both succulents and cacti are easy plants to care for and bring numerous health benefits.

Any of these succulents would make a perfect and memorable gift.

If buying succulents online, check out these top 13 online succulent stores with amazing succulents and customer service.

9. Succulents Offer Creative Usage

These days, you can find succulents almost anywhere. As they tend to grow in any climate they can be used in a highly creative manner. From the showpiece at the coffee houses to the wall hangings, succulents can decorate the place with a very less effort.

Succulents can survive for quite some time in harsh conditions without dying until they are transported or repotted in a more suitable environment. When transported, these plants can continue to grow and thrive given the proper care.

Due to their unique qualities, they are used in different arrangements and designs making them an ideal plant choice for exquisite arrangements and designs.

Get the benefits of succulents with these cute succulent arrangements.

10. Succulents Make a Tasty Snack

While we don’t recommend that you pick up a random succulent off your shelf and start munching on it, we do recommend that you check out a few different types of edible succulents, including sea beans, pineapple, yucca, and some species of cacti, like opuntia and saguaro!

Benefits of Succulents in a Nutshell

Just imagine what a small plant can give you while you have to invest a very little amount of time nurturing it. Succulents are easy to maintain and free of all the fussy procedures.

There’s no doubt about it: Succulents are special. People have known it for thousands of years, and you can tell just by looking at them. A symbol of resilience, adaptation, and protection, they bring powerful energy into your home and some healing to your life.

Just the excuse we needed to purchase another one (or ten)…