内容来源：https://lifehacker.com/home/most-useful-houseplants-you-can-grow?utm_medium=RSS

内容总结：

【家中绿植不止于美：这些实用功能你知道吗？】
近年来，约三分之二的美国家庭选择在室内种植绿植。除了装饰性强、成本低廉、养护简单等优势外，绿植还有许多常被忽视的实用功能。它们不仅能提升居住环境的美观度，还能从空气质量改善、药用价值、食用价值及助眠效果等多方面提升生活品质。

净化空气：调节湿度与吸附尘埃
虽然绿植净化空气的效果曾被夸大，但其通过吸收二氧化碳释放氧气的基本功能确实能改善室内环境。例如：

• 蜘蛛草可提升空间湿度，研究显示25盆4英寸盆径的蜘蛛草可使室内相对湿度提升10%；
• 白掌、常春藤、橡胶树等叶片多褶皱的植物能有效吸附灰尘，需定期擦拭叶片以维持效果。

药用价值：天然的家庭药箱
部分绿植具有缓解常见不适的药用特性：

• 芦荟凝胶可舒缓轻微烫伤、晒伤及皮肤炎症；
• 薄荷叶泡茶有助于消化系统舒缓；
• 洋甘菊则以助眠、抗焦虑及促消化功效著称。

食用种植：厨房里的“新鲜调料库”
室内绿植亦可成为食材来源：

• 香草类如罗勒、鼠尾草、欧芹等易种植且适合调味；
• 水果类如无花果、柠檬、樱桃等果树可室内栽培；
• 蔬菜类如番茄、辣椒、羽衣甘蓝等兼具观赏与食用价值。

助眠伴侣：营造宁静睡眠环境
卧室放置绿植可通过视觉与嗅觉促进睡眠：

• 薰衣草、茉莉、缬草等植物散发的芳香能舒缓情绪，改善睡眠质量。

专家建议，选择功能性绿植时需结合具体需求与养护条件，让自然之美切实服务于日常生活。

中文翻译：

美国约三分之二的家庭至少拥有一株室内盆栽，这背后自有缘由——事实上，理由多种多样。其一，植物具有装饰美感，能为居室注入蓬勃的自然生机；其二，其成本相对低廉，与其他室内装饰元素相比尤其如此；再者，部分品种养护简单，非常适合生活忙碌的人群。

尽管室内绿植广受欢迎，但大多数人却忽略了它们另一项潜在价值：实用功能。这些植物不仅可作装饰——选对品种更能将自然美感与实用功能完美结合，从多维度提升生活品质。若您正计划打造室内花园或为现有绿植添新成员，以下这些高实用性品种值得考虑。

【净化空气类绿植】
虽宣称绿植能彻底净化室内空气的说法言过其实，但它们对空气质量确有积极影响。所有植物都会吸收二氧化碳并释放氧气，因此仅摆放植物就能刷新居室空气。但特定品种还有额外功效：
提升湿度：若室内空气干燥导致眼肤干痒，在特定房间摆放吊兰可改善此状况。研究显示吊兰能提高空间相对湿度，增强环境舒适度。需要注意的是，起关键作用的是叶片总表面积——需大量植株才能产生显著效果：研究表明25株4寸盆吊兰可使相对湿度提升10%，当然大株植物可相应减少数量。
吸附尘埃：许多植物通过凹凸的叶片与茎干捕获灰尘及污染物，从而提升空气质量。白掌、英国常春藤和橡胶树都是控尘佳选。需注意这些植物仅通过物理方式截留尘埃而非吸收，因此需定期擦拭叶片才能真正去尘。

【药用功能类绿植】
部分室内植物可用于缓解多种轻微不适与损伤。虽不能因拥有几盆绿植就抛弃所有市售药品，但若种植以下品种，便能享受其经验证的疗愈特性：
芦荟：具舒缓功效，叶片凝胶可治疗轻微烫伤（包括晒伤）或皮肤刺激，亦常作温和通便剂使用。
薄荷：薄荷叶茶应用于民间医药已有数世纪历史，有证据表明其可舒缓消化道。栽种观赏性薄荷盆栽意味着随时可冲泡一杯缓解不适。
洋甘菊：以安神特性著称，可缓解焦虑、助消化、改善睡眠。

【可食用室内绿植】
室内植物亦可成为烹饪食材来源：
香草类：最典型的选择如罗勒、鼠尾草、欧芹（还有许多其他品种）。这些植物观赏性强、易于室内栽培，并能提供新鲜调味料。
水果类：多种果树其实适合室内种植。无花果树、柠檬树、樱桃树、蓝莓丛甚至香蕉树都能室内栽培，全年补充家庭水果消耗。
蔬菜类：番茄、辣椒和羽衣甘蓝等美观品种，还能为沙拉及其他菜肴提供新鲜食材。

【助眠类绿植】
卧室摆放绿植有多重好处，改善睡眠便是其一。若您难以放松入眠，卧室放置植物即可营造宁静祥和的氛围促进睡眠。有证据表明香气会影响睡眠周期的质量与时长——但无需复杂操作。选择薰衣草、茉莉或缬草等使卧室芳香的植物，便能营造有益于优质睡眠的愉悦环境。

英文来源：

There’s a reason about two-thirds of the households in America have at least one houseplant—many reasons, in fact. For one, they’re beautiful, bringing a blast of fresh, natural beauty into our homes. For another, they’re relatively inexpensive, especially when compared to other interior design elements. And some houseplants are easy to care for, which is ideal for busy lives.
Despite their popularity, however, most of us sleep on another potential benefit of houseplants: Practical, everyday uses. Houseplants don’t have to be merely decorative—the right ones combine that natural beauty with applications that can improve your life in myriad ways. If you’re looking to start an indoor garden or add to your existing collection, here are some of the most useful houseplants you can acquire.
Best houseplants for air quality
While claims that houseplants will scrub and purify your indoor air are overblown, there’s no doubt that houseplants do have a positive impact on your indoor air quality. All plants absorb carbon dioxide and excrete oxygen, after all, so just by having them you’ll be freshening up your home’s air. But specific plants also have more uses:
Improving humidity. If your house is feeling dry, giving you itchy eyes and skin, adding some spider plants to specific rooms can improve the situation. Studies have shown that spider plants can improve relative humidity in a room, making the space more comfortable. It should be noted that it’s all about leaf surface area, so you need a lot of them to make a real difference: 25 plants in 4-inch pots resulted in a 10% gain of relative humidity in the study, for example, though you could have fewer plants if they were larger.
Dust reduction. Many houseplants can improve the air quality in your home by capturing dust and other contaminants, trapping the stuff on their ridged leaves and stems. Peace lilies, English ivy, and rubber plants are great choices to have in the house for dust control. Note that these plants remove dust mechanically by capturing it, not by absorbing it in any way—you’ll need to dust them to actually remove the dust.
Plants with medicinal uses
Some houseplants are useful because they can be used to treat a range of mild discomforts and injuries. You might not be able to throw away all your store-bought stuff just because you have a few potted plants about, but if you include some of these plants in your collection, you can benefit from their proven healing qualities:
Aloe Vera has soothing properties, and the gel from a cut leaf can be used to treat minor burns (including sunburns) or other skin irritations. It’s also often used as a mild laxative.
Mint. Mint leaf teas have been used in folk medicine for centuries, and there’s some evidence that mint leaf teas can soothe the digestive tract. Having some fresh mint on hand in the form of an attractive houseplant means you can brew up a little relief any time you want.
Chamomile. Chamomile is often noted for its soothing qualities, reducing anxiety, aiding digestion, and improving sleep.
Edible plants to grow indoors
Your houseplants can be a source of ingredients in your cooking:
Herbs. The most obvious choices will be herbs like basil, sage, and parsley (among many, many other choices). These plants are attractive, easy to grow indoors, and can supply you with fresh seasoning for your meals.
Fruits. Several fruit trees actually thrive indoors. Figs, lemons, cherries, blueberries, and even bananas can be grown indoors, supplementing your grocery bills all year round.
Vegetables. Tomatoes, peppers, and kale are all beautiful houseplants that will also produce delicious veggies for your salads and other recipes.
Best plants for sleep aid
There are a lot of reasons to put houseplants in your bedroom, and better sleep is one of them. If you have trouble relaxing and falling asleep, just having plants in your bedroom can create a more serene, calm atmosphere that can promote better sleep. There’s also some evidence that scent can influence the quality and duration of sleep cycles—but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. Having plants that make the bedroom smell nice (like lavender, jasmine, or valerian) can contribute to a pleasant atmosphere that’s conducive to a good night’s sleep.