JLPT N1 Reading Comprehension Lesson 22

Just looking at flowers can heal your heart. You can also enjoy their fragrance, which improves your mood. Even flowers blooming in the wild have a significant presence. This is no longer a matter of logic. There is also a theory that tending to the soil to grow flowers and trees can boost our immune system (note), which protects our bodies. Flower therapy is the concept of utilizing the energy emitted by flowers to maintain health. It is said that blue flowers have a beneficial effect on the liver, gallbladder, eyes, blood regulation, and the autonomic nervous system; red flowers on the heart, circulatory system, tongue, and nervous system; purple flowers on the kidneys, bladder, ears, and reproductive organs; white flowers on the lungs, respiratory system, nose, large intestine, and skin; and yellow flowers on the mouth, digestive organs, stomach, and metabolic functions. Even without this knowledge, we feel a sense of calm and tranquility, and sometimes loneliness and sadness, from white, blue, and purple flowers. On the other hand, we feel joy and strength from red and yellow flowers. Therefore, when you want to calm down, choose the former, and when you want to gain energy, choose the latter. Size also matters. Large flowers give you energy, while small flowers evoke a sense of cuteness and calm. For example, I think yellow sunflowers radiate a feeling of boundless vitality. ① This is unrelated to gender or race. You can choose flowers based on your feelings, but selecting them with an understanding of flower therapy will yield even better results. However, there is also the idea that any kind of flower will do. In any case, I think it is a happy thing to always live surrounded by flowers.