An Interdisciplinary Dialogue
The global burden of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety, and social isolation, has intensified the search for interventions that are both accessible and culturally meaningful. Horticultural therapy has emerged as one such approach, with growing evidence demonstrating the psychological, social, and ecological benefits of gardening and engagement with green spaces. These outcomes align closely with global health priorities and sustainability agendas. Yet the therapeutic role of plants and landscapes is far from a modern innovation. It is a theme deeply embedded in traditional knowledge systems.
At the Global Centre for Indic Studies, recent conceptual research has explored how Vṛkṣāyurveda—the classical Indian “science of trees”—articulates a sophisticated understanding of the relationship between ecology, community, and well-being. Found in the works of Varāhamihira in the Bṛhat Saṃhitā and later elaborated by Surapāla, Vṛkṣāyurveda extends beyond agricultural instruction into a broader cultural philosophy of health.
“When we cultivate trees, we cultivate the conditions in which the mind can rest.”
Spatial Context: Landscapes as Therapeutic Environments
Classical texts describe the intentional placement of trees near water bodies, temples, pathways, and communal gathering spaces. Such descriptions reflect more than aesthetic planning; they reveal an integrated understanding of how environment shapes human experience. The positioning of trees is presented as a deliberate act that enhances harmony, shelter, and collective benefit. This spatial awareness resonates with contemporary research on therapeutic landscapes, which demonstrates that proximity to natural environments supports stress reduction, emotional restoration, and psychological resilience.
Sensory Context: Regulation Through Aesthetic Experience
Vṛkṣāyurveda pays careful attention to fragrance, flowering patterns, shade, and seasonal cycles. Sensory qualities are not incidental details but integral to the experience of well-being. The cultivation of beauty, texture, and scent suggests an early recognition that environmental stimuli influence emotional and physiological states. Modern sensory gardens and horticultural therapy programmes similarly acknowledge the regulatory potential of multisensory engagement, particularly in trauma-informed and community-based settings.
Community Context: Planting as Ethical and Collective Practice
Tree planting in classical literature is framed as a communal and ethical act, undertaken for shared and intergenerational benefit. Gardens are envisioned not merely as private assets but as contributions to collective flourishing. This orientation mirrors contemporary community gardening initiatives, which have been shown to strengthen social cohesion, foster belonging, and enhance ecological stewardship. The act of planting becomes both environmental and relational, linking human well-being with sustainable practice.
Reframing Vṛkṣāyurveda for Contemporary Inquiry
This conceptual analysis suggests that Vṛkṣāyurveda should not be understood solely as an agronomic manual, but as a cultural philosophy integrating ecology, psychology, and social responsibility. While the present work does not claim direct empirical equivalence between classical texts and modern therapeutic interventions, it highlights striking thematic convergences. Both frameworks recognise that environmental design, sensory engagement, and communal participation are inseparable from mental well-being.
Reinterpreting these traditions offers valuable pathways for culturally grounded mental health promotion and sustainable community design. In a period marked by ecological strain and psychological distress, revisiting classical plant wisdom invites renewed dialogue between tradition and contemporary therapeutic science.
