Experiences in natural environments can enhance human wellbeing and promote the recovery of physiological and psychological health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, university students' activity off-campus was limited, thus, the campus environment was particularly important for the recovery of students' physiological and psychological health. Although the benefits of sustained natural exposure are obvious for people's physiological and psychological health, the effects of brief exposure on physiological and psychological are unclear. In the present study, four types of campus environments, including square space, dense forest space, sparse forest space, and waterfront space, were selected to explore the transient recovery effects of different types of campus environments. Sixty university students were recruited, measuring their systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate as physical parameters to assess stress recovery. Respondents also reported scores about their personal feelings in questionnaires to evaluate their psychological states. Both physiological and psychological indicators responded to the brief natural exposure (5 min), and physiological and psychological health was restored. However, only the recovery amounts of psychological indicators were significantly different in waterfront space, dense forest space, and sparse forest space. These results indicate that being compare with other spaces, the brief exposure in the waterfront space was the most beneficial to students' psychological health recovery. This recovery was attributed to the great role played by the sense of escape, but after the brief exposure, the attraction and compatibility of the environment would hinder the psychological health recovery. In conclusion, according to tests on both physiological and psychological aspects, the waterfront environment on campus is the best choice for students' transient health recovery.

With the advancement of society, there has been an increasing focus on the health status of college students, with plants playing a significant role in the campus environment. Investigating the impact of the aromatic scent of plants on the physical and mental well-being of college students is essential. This study centered on the common indoor potted flower Gardenia jasminoides Ellis to delve into its aroma and the influence of its volatiles on the physical, mental, and emotional recovery of college students. The findings revealed that the subjects in both the olfactory group (G1) and the control group (G2) exhibited a decrease in blood pressure, pulse, β wave power, and skin electrical signal, alongside an increase in α wave power and heart rate variability (HRV) index. Notably, G1 saw a rise in α wave power by 0.17 µV²/Hz and G2 experienced an increase in HRV index by 0.184, while the power of β wave decreased by 2.589 and 0.01 µV²/Hz, respectively. Moreover, psychological indicators showed a significant increase in ‘energy’ and ‘self’ scores for both G1 and G2. Additionally, the perception of gardenia odor by college students was found to be associated with various physiological and psychological indicators in the experiment. The study highlighted that the volatiles of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis are rich in terpenes and alcohols, with terpenes playing a role in blood pressure regulation and relaxation, while alcohols like linalool contribute to air freshness, nervous system regulation, and sedative effects. The findings of our research offer backing for utilizing aromatic plants with terpenes and alcohols, such as gardenia, to enhance their health-promoting properties.

The forest experience is good for people’s physical and mental health. However, few studies on the effects of pure forest based on the duration and way of experience on people’s physical and mental recovery. In this study, we took 180 first-year college students as research objects and conducted experiments in Pinus sylvestris and Betula platyphylla and the control group of grass plot. The changes of physiological and psychological indexes of the subjects were compared by two perception methods (onsite perception, video perception) and three perception duration (10 min, 20 min, 30 min). The results indicated that: (1) Differences between the two pure forests were mainly reflected in short-term recovery of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and long-term recovery of total mood disorder (TMD). (2) Video perception was more conducive to short-term recovery of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). (3) Viewing the Pinus sylvestris for 20 min in different ways was the best way to relieve stress. It is suggested that, Pinus sylvestris can be used as the rehabilitation perception material, and reasonable path length or perception time can be selected for landscape construction in future. These results can provide scientific reference for landscape design based on forest health and environmental perception.

In the context of escalating urbanization and modernization, urban residents are facing a progressive rise in stress levels, particularly during winter when severe cold and limited daylight hours intensify psychological strain and physical fatigue. Despite the acknowledged health benefits of brief exposure to natural settings, research on the restorative effects of virtual winter forest settings remains limited. This study undertook the creation of immersive winter forest trail landscapes using virtual technology, generating six distinct audiovisual configurations by manipulating variables such as Evergreen Tree Density (ETD) and Event Ambient Sound (EAS). A cohort of 132 participants (N = 22) engaged in a stress-induction experiment involving a 5-minute virtual landscape exploration within indoor settings. Psychological metrics were assessed through the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and Perceived Restored Soundscape Scale (PRSS), while changes in brain alpha and beta waves and neuroemotional indicators were monitored via Emotiv EPOC X during the participants’ virtual experience. The impact of the virtual winter forest trail landscape on participants’ psychological and physiological perceptions was analyzed. Findings revealed that: (1) the virtual winter forest trail contributed to heightened positive emotions (p = 0.001); (2) diverse audiovisual configurations positively influenced audiovisual nerve relaxation, as evidenced by EEG data, albeit with varying degrees of efficacy; (3) winter forest trail environments characterized by high green visibility significantly facilitate the physical and mental recovery of visitors; (4) multi-person activity sounds outperformed single-player audio in terms of restorative benefits, while companionship enhances the healing process; and (5) interactions involving multiple people and sound production significantly enhanced recovery benefits (p = 0.000) in a forested trail environment dense with evergreens during winter. In contrast, the lowest recovery benefits were observed when individuals strolled alone. This research offers a theoretical foundation for the advancement and implementation of winter forest landscape therapy and serves as a scholarly reference for leveraging snow and ice tourism resources in forest environments.

As an ornamentally and medicinally worthy plant, Hosta plantaginea (Lam.) Aschers. has the adapted capacity to survive cold temperate monsoon climates in Northeastern China. However, its use is limited by the soil alkalization of urban gardens. Our pre-experiment found that Hosta ‘Golden Cadet’ has the potential to be alkali-tolerant. Hence, tissue-cultured seedlings of Hosta ‘Golden Cadet’ were used as experimental material. Its related growth, physiology, and transcripts were examined to reveal the molecular mechanism of Hosta plantaginea in response to alkali stress. The results show that the development of Hosta ‘Golden Cadet’ was affected by alkali stress. In comparison with the control, malondialdehyde (MDA) content increased by 4.28-fold at the 24th hour, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased by 49% at the 6th hour, and peroxidase (POD) activity and soluble sugar (SS) content increased by 67% and 30% at the 12th hour, respectively. The RNA-seq analysis revealed that Hosta ‘Golden Cadet’ gene expressions at 0 h, 6 h, 12 h, 21 h and 48 h differed after 200 mmol/L NaHCO₃ treatment. During 48 h under alkali stress, 2366 differentially expressed genes were found. The transcription factors MYB, AP2/ERF, and WRKY were activated in differentially expressed genes. The KEGG analysis found that phytohormone signaling pathways, starch and sucrose metabolism, and phenylpropane production were activated in Hosta ‘Golden Cadet’ in response to alkali stress. In summary, Hosta ‘Golden Cadet’ can reduce membrane damage by improving osmoregulation and antioxidant capacity, increase sucrose and starch metabolism, and regulate phenylpropane biosynthesis by activating transcription factors and inducing related phytohormone signaling, mitigating the effects of alkali toxicity. These findings guide an investigation into the mechanism of alkali tolerance in Hosta plants, screening alkali tolerance genes, and selecting and breeding novel alkali-tolerant Hosta plantaginea cultivars.