Which Christmas tree is better: natural or artificial? The doctor named the pros and cons of each one

therapist at LabQuest + Q-Clinica medical company

“Live or artificial Christmas tree – for many, it’s a matter of habit or personal preference. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages, but the impact on health is an aspect that is often overlooked. I’ll tell you how a live Christmas tree can be dangerous and why an artificial tree is not an unambiguous evil”.

Pros and cons of a live Christmas tree

A real forest spruce emits into the environment valuable and extremely useful for humans substances – essential oils rich in phytoncides. These compounds have a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect – healers used decoctions of needles to treat infectious diseases five millennia ago. And the very smell is invariably associated with New Year’s holidays and warm evenings with the family.

The tree begins to actively vaporize phytoncides immediately after it was brought from the frost in a warm room. Coming into contact with ozone molecules, they contribute to the formation of light negative ions, useful for the respiratory system of humans. In addition, phytoncides disinfect the air in the house, improve lung respiration, strengthen the immune system and nervous system.

Live spruce sooner or later will have to be utilized, but even here it will be useful. In the needles of fluffy forest beauty a lot of vitamin C, tannins, macro- and microelements, so they are often prepared from them infusions, ointments and decoctions. Alcohol tinctures of young shoots are useful for tuberculosis, and pine decoctions and baths help with rheumatism, acute respiratory infections, cramps, heart disease, gastritis and arthrosis.

Unfortunately, this is where the pluses of natural fluffy beauty ends. The benefits of a fresh Christmas tree do not last long, maximum one or two days. After the tree “stands” and warms up properly, the amount of phytoncides in it rapidly decreases.

In contrast to this blossoms fungal infection, and after a week the forest beauty becomes dangerous for asthmatics and people with weakened immunity. Even regardless of the presence of fungus, the coniferous tree itself is one big allergen due to the resins and odor of the needles.

Allergy sufferers may be in for another surprise when they encounter a live Christmas tree. In an attempt to protect the commercial appearance of the tree from parasites and fungus, sellers may treat it with insecticides and other chemicals that can cause allergies. But in any case, the presence of such substances in the air in the apartment can definitely not be considered favorable for the health of people and animals.

Pros and cons of artificial fir trees

Let’s move on to another option to provide a New Year’s atmosphere in the apartment – an artificial spruce. It differs from the natural tree by its variability – it can be made of any size, shape and color. Materials are also an incredible variety – from cheap plastic to wood, metal and fabric.

In addition, the manufacturer can provide for the decoration of specific properties that are difficult or impossible to achieve in the case of natural variant – for example, fire safety or folding design.

The most frequent guest in Russian apartments is a Christmas tree with needles made of soft PVC-film, which is especially common because of its cheapness. There are no natural components in it, so the advantages of a live tree are not typical for it. But there are also disadvantages – it will not get moldy, will not drop needles, will not provoke allergies with the smell of needles and will not bring a surprise in its bark in the form of woodworms, which may like furniture items in the house.

In general, the situation with disadvantages is somewhat more complicated, because the harmfulness of the Christmas tree strongly depends on the material from which it is made, as well as on its quality. In the worst case, such a decoration can be dangerous due to the presence of carcinogens. If cheap and low-quality plastic was used in the manufacture of a fluffy beauty, then such material becomes especially toxic when heated.

Old garlands with incandescent bulbs, batteries – this is enough for the artificial tree to begin to release products of polymer decomposition, such as phenol and formaldehyde. And in some cases, arsenic and lead can be found in spruce.

Strangely enough, but even such Christmas trees can be exploited without consequences. The only condition is that it must stand in a public passageway, where no one will be in contact with it for a long time, or on the street. Put such a tree to your home is not worth it, especially for families with animals and small children who have not yet passed the habit of taking foreign objects in their mouths.

The main criterion for choosing an artificial Christmas tree, in addition to design, is the cost. As a rule, a more expensive Christmas tree will be of higher quality and safer for health – there are no surprises here. But even if the price tag indicates an impressive amount, you still need to check the fluffy beauty before buying. To do this, just smell – a quality artificial fir tree should not emit absolutely no odors.

Which one to choose – live or artificial?

Given the development of technology and industry, in most cases it is worth favoring an artificial Christmas tree. A quality modern product is made of environmentally friendly and non-combustible materials, odorless, resistant to fire and extremely durable.

Of course, a natural spruce tree beguiles with its aroma and tactile sensations, but no matter how beautifully it is decorated, it will always look better in a snowy forest than in an apartment.