846 Biomed Environ Sci, 2017; 30(11): 846-850 doi: 10.3967/bes2017.114 * This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant no. 31570700]. 1. College of Landscape Architecture, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, Sichuan, China; 2. School of Electronics, Information and Electrical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 201100, China Letter to the Editor Psychophysiological Effects of Bamboo Plants on Adults * Ahmad Hassan 1 , CHEN Qi Bing 1,# , JIANG Tao 1 , LYU Bing Yang 1 , LI Nian 1 , LI Shu 1 , SHANGGUAN Zi Yue 1 , LI Yun Ting 1 , JUN Zhou Li 1 , LUO Qian 1 , CHEN Xin Yi 1 , WANG Yi Yan 1 , ZENG Cheng Cheng 1 , YANG Jun 1 , and Muhammad Sohaib Tahir 2 The present study was conducted to clarify the psychophysiological relaxation effects of viewing bamboo on university students. Forty healthy Chinese participants enrolled in this study to clarify the psychophysiological relaxation effects of viewing bamboo. The effects of visual stimulation using a pot both with and without a bamboo were recorded by measuring the student’s blood pressure, EEG and STAI. We observed that viewing bamboo plants resulted in significantly lower systolic (female, P < 0.001; male, P < 0.001; P < 0.05) and diastolic (female, P < 0.001; male, P < 0.001; P < 0.05) blood pressures, but no changes in the pulse rate (female, P = 0.09; male, P = 0.07; P > 0.05) were observed. The results of the EEG analysis indicated brainwave variation (all P < 0.05) and lower anxiety scores (P < 0.01) after 3 min of viewing bamboo compared with the control. These findings indicate that visual stimulation with bamboo plants induced psychophysiological relaxation effects on adults. Currently, social media and mobile phone devices are popular among teenagers and adults. In 1980, scientists observed that 8- to 18-year-olds spend a considerable amount of time playing mobile video games, which resulted in a lack of interest in nature; therefore, these individuals are rarely exposed to natural environments [1] . The past decade has witnessed an increasing number of behavioral and mental health problems worldwide [2] . According to the World Health Organization mental health problems currently constitute 10% of the global burden of disease [3] . These mental health issues are rapidly increasing each year and are becoming significant in all parts of the world. By 2020, mental illness may account for up to 45% of the total diseases worldwide [4] . In such a situation, increasing attention has been focused on the role of natural environments, such as indoor plants. The effects of natural elements are increasingly being acknowledged in stressful locations, such as nursing homes and hospitals [5] . In these environments and many other places, such as offices, human contact with nature is an effective and simple strategy for improving vitality and relieving stress [5] . People with access to nearby natural settings have been found to be healthier overall than people without such access. Many studies have evaluated the psychological effects of exposure to flowers; however, the physiological relaxing effects of viewing bamboo plants have not been scientifically studied. Bamboo is a well-known and the most preferred plant in Chinese landscape design due to its unique beautiful foliage and fast-growing characteristics. In addition, bamboo is used for indoor and outdoor decoration and for recreation purposes in many public and private parks, schools and nursing homes. The demand for ornamental bamboo plants has increased in the field of interior decoration. Therefore, to clarify the physiological and psychological effects of viewing bamboo plants on human comfort, we recruited Chinese male and female university students. The experiment was conducted in a conference room of the College of Landscape Architecture in March of 2016. The temperature, relative humidity, and intensity of illumination were maintained at 21 °C, 50%, and 500 lux, respectively. Forty healthy Chinese students (50% male; 50% female) with average (mean ± SD) ages of 19.6 ± 1.4 years; weights 52.0 ± 6.2 kg; and heights 161.2 ± 3.1 cm from Sichuan Agricultural University, China, were selected for this trial. All students were non-smokers and had no previous record of mental disorders. Before the start of the experiments, the participants were fully informed of the objective and methods of the tests, and their consent to undergo these trials