Make Your Own Fresh Air With These Three Houseplants

Keeping certain plants in the house can help you breathe easier, according to a 15-year study conducted by Greenspaces, a group headquartered in India. Three varieties of plants -- areca palm, mother-in-law's tongue, and the money plant -- proved to clean the air of certain toxins and increase blood-oxygen levels by 1 percent. Workers in the Greenspaces building in the highly polluted city of New Delhi saw a dramatic increase in productivity, with a reduction in eye irritation by 52 percent, headaches by 24 percent, and asthma by 9 percent.

The healing power of plants is nothing terribly new: the hospital-staple peace lily absorbs alcohol, acetone, and reduces allergies. In addition, a number of orchids are known for their air-cleansing abilities. But fostering a number of these Indian-tested plants in your home or office can also help reduce energy costs by more than 15 percent, since they take a load off heating and cooling systems. Pretty impressive for a houseplant.

--Jordana Fyne