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I know that there are no plants which release oxygen in the dark (Can plants produce oxygen at night (without light)?).

I also know that some plants can clean toxic agents from the air (Nasa Clean Air Study).

Are there any plants which have health-beneficial properties specifically at night, i.e. in the dark?

Assume, if you'd like, that 12 leprechauns bring the plants to your bedroom the moment you turn off the lights and place them outside your house when you turn on the lights in the morning. Can bedroom plants still be beneficial to your health in this case? If so, which ones and why?

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    $\begingroup$ ...leprechauns? $\endgroup$
    – Dubukay
    Commented Apr 10, 2018 at 17:42
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    $\begingroup$ @Dubukay The reason I bring up leprechauns is that I have noticed many autistic people are active on SE. These people malfunction when you leave any room for interpretation. E.g. if I had only said 'at night' instead of 'in the dark', they would complain that artificial light could still result in photosynthesis. This is obviously besides the point and, to non-autists, need not be made explicit. Therefore, I used a tongue-in-cheek method to make such nuances explicit here. $\endgroup$
    – LBogaardt
    Commented Apr 10, 2018 at 17:51
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    $\begingroup$ Why have some people -1'ed? The question is well posed, has references and fits within the scope of this SE. If you -1'ed, explain yourself. $\endgroup$
    – LBogaardt
    Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 8:32

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There exist a diversity of flora you may select relative to the antigen or noxious chemical you seek to reduce. Pursuant to the British Medical Bulletin, the critical indoor pollutants are the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons like furanes and benzenes, ethanal (formaldehyde) and carbon monoxide. Depending upon which gaseous or volatile compound you seek to reduce in your household, you may select Chrysanthemum morifolium for the reduction of ammonia gas, xylene and alternative respiratory irritants; Chlorophytum chomosum for formaldehyde; and Dracaena genus concerning and trichloroethylene.

If you should suffer any infestation of Penicillium mould, then it is advised that one tackle the source of the infestation directly - areas rich in cellulose and moisture.

Further information regarding is available from the following links:

9 Air-Cleaning plants that are almost impossible to kill, https://greatist.com/connect/houseplants-that-clean-air

British Medical Bulletin, https://academic.oup.com/bmb/article/68/1/209/421251

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  • $\begingroup$ Thanks, but this is not what I was asking. $\endgroup$
    – LBogaardt
    Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 8:31
  • $\begingroup$ As far as I understood the question, this answer should be perfectly suitable (though lacking references to substantiate the claim of those plants doing what is claimed). If not this, what are you asking for? $\endgroup$
    – Armatus
    Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 8:56
  • $\begingroup$ @Armatus Wow, seriously? My question, so obviously, is not about reducing toxins in general. In fact, I preface my question by stating that I am already familiar with the air-cleaning capabilities of some plants. I am not looking for more references about that. As stated multiple times in my question, I am interested in the effect of plants specifically at night, i.e. in the dark. I even wrote an entire story about leprechauns in the hope to make this more clear, with a further explanation in the comment. $\endgroup$
    – LBogaardt
    Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 13:48
  • $\begingroup$ While I think you should rethink your communication strategy, I see your point. As a suggestion, when you know what kind of information you're not looking for, it generally helps to specify that in your question. $\endgroup$
    – Armatus
    Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 13:57
  • $\begingroup$ @Armatus I fully agree with your last sentence, that is why I started with those 2 points which I already knew. But it seems that wasn't clear enough. Unrelated: please use the @[name] in your comments, such that I get a notification about comments directed at me. $\endgroup$
    – LBogaardt
    Commented Apr 13, 2018 at 18:17

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