9 Nov 2026 · @derek
Doctors are now writing a new kind of script: get outside, and spend time among the trees. A recent piece in The Age looked at GPs prescribing "nature bathing" to patients, and it confirms what most of us already feel after a few hours by the water or under a canopy of gums.
We've always known that heading up the creek is good for you. It turns out there's a growing body of science that agrees.
Forest bathing comes from the Japanese shinrin-yoku, which translates as "taking in the forest atmosphere." There's no water involved. You simply slow down in a natural place and let your senses do the work: the smell of the bush, the sound of running water, the light through the leaves.
It's often called an ancient tradition, but the term itself is surprisingly recent. Japan's Forestry Agency coined it in 1982, partly as a response to stress and burnout among city workers. It does draw on a much older Japanese reverence for nature, rooted in Shinto and Buddhist traditions.
Today Japan has designated forest therapy trails, and the idea has spread worldwide. Doctors in Scotland, Canada, the US and now Australia are writing "nature prescriptions" for everything from anxiety to high blood pressure.
Part of the answer may lie in the air itself. Trees release natural aromatic compounds called phytoncides, such as alpha-pinene and limonene. Trees produce them to defend against insects and fungi, and we breathe them in on every bush walk.
Dr Qing Li of Nippon Medical School in Tokyo found that time in the forest boosted the activity of natural killer cells, the part of our immune system that fights viruses and abnormal cells. The effect lasted for days after the trip.
Yoshifumi Miyazaki of Chiba University found that people walking in forests had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than people who walked the same distance in a city or lab. Other studies have recorded lower pulse rates and blood pressure, and less anxiety and fatigue.
You may have heard that these tree chemicals are strongest at a particular height above the ground. That's a popular claim, but the research doesn't pin it down. Concentrations actually shift with the season, temperature, time of day and type of tree, so the best approach is simply to be there.
Forest bathing isn't a hike or a workout. There's no destination and no step count. Here's how to start:
You don't need an old-growth forest. A creek-side track, a shady park or a stand of gums will do.
The best medicine might be the one waiting just up the creek. It's free, it has no side effects, and you don't need an appointment to start.
So this weekend, pack a water bottle, leave the screens behind and head somewhere green. Your body and mind will thank you.