On March 02, 2021, BBC EARTH took an Interview with Dr Qing Li on the topic of Forest Bathing/Shinrin-Yoku/Forest Medicine at Mizumoto Park in Tokyo (https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/park/format/index041.html#googtrans(en)). The program will be released in March, 2021

The questions are as follows

:

1.Dr Qing, please can you start by introducing yourself?

2.Can you tell us about your work with trees? Have you always been interested in our relationship with nature?

3.For someone that doesn’t know, what is Shinrin Yoku? Can you tell us about the application of Forest Medicine? You are a director of the Forest Therapy Society?

4.What are the benefits to humans of spending time in forests?

5.How long do you need to spend in a forest to feel the benefits? What if you only have 20 minutes? What if it’s just a city park?

6.Do you think we as humans instinctively know nature is good for us?

7.Can you explain how trees affect the different human senses?

8.What would you say to someone that had never tried this? Or what would you say to people that were sceptical about Shinrin Yoku/the power of Forest Medicine?

9.How can people approach Forest bathing for themselves? What are your tips or getting started with Shinrin Yoku?

10.From your nearly 20 years of time in this research area, why do you think we underestimate the power of nature?

11.What is the thing that has most amazed you from your research with trees? Are there any amazing facts about trees you could share?

Federica Zabini, Lorenzo Albanese, Francesco Riccardo Becheri, Gioele Gavazzi, Fiorenza Giganti, Fabio Giovanelli, Giorgio Gronchi, Andrea Guazzini, Marco Laurino, Qing Li, Tessa Marzi, Francesca Mastorci, Francesco Meneguzzo, Stefania Righi, Maria Pia Viggiano
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33143327/

(Reported by Qing Li)