7 health benefits of having cactus in your house

having a cactus at home would provide you and your family with many health benefits, the truth is quite the contrary. There are a plethora of benefits to having a cactus at home, helping to improve both your physical and mental condition

While cacti can make gorgeous additions to your indoor plant displays, you may be wondering if having cactus in the home is good for you and your family’s health. Sure, they look pretty and can tie a room together, but do they serve any further purpose?

So, is it good to have cactus at home? Actually, the answer is a resounding yes. There are many benefits, both emotional and physical, from having cacti in the home. These include better air quality, increased mood, more productivity, therapeutic benefits, and in children, a sense of responsibility and accomplishment.

In this article, we’ll be exploring each of the health benefits of having cactus indoors as well as discussing the best cacti to grow in your home.

1.  Better Indoor Air Quality

When we breathe, we convert oxygen into carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is the toxin that we expel and the toxin that plants thrive on and convert back into oxygen.

A cactus absorbs the released carbon dioxide in the home and reverts it into fresh, clean oxygen for you and your family to breathe while you’re inside. This is an obvious plus for your overall health, especially when you consider how polluted indoor air is (hint: it’s often 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air!).

These plants will also reduce levels of some home pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide and benzene. So, the more cacti you have inside, the better your air quality will be.

2.  Having Cacti Indoors Can Make You Happier

Cactus in a mug.
Cute indoor cacti that can make you feel relaxed, calm, and extremely happy!

Having plants like cacti indoors can bring a feeling of calmness and increase your mood. After all, who just wants to be stuck inside without the beauty of nature? This isn’t just a theory; it’s been proven time and time again by studies like this one. The cutesy and colorful appearance of cacti helps to relieve stress and also decreases stress-related depression as we actively transfer our stresses into caring for the cactus.

Not only can cacti make you happier, but they can also make your spouse happier and increase the bond between you and your family. This is because, by caring for plants, we naturally become more empathetic and caring for those around us, as well.

Overall, having a cactus indoors can improve the bond we have with ourselves, with our friends, and with our family members.

3.  They Can Make You More Productive

Whether you work from home or have a cactus in your office, these little potted plants can make you more productive during the workday. Along with increasing your mood, having an indoor cactus can make you feel more energetic and ready to take on the day.

Not only do they make you more productive, but they’ll also make your children more productive. Children who spend time around indoor plants tend to learn better, meaning having cactus in your home could help them to focus better on their homework, become interested in their learning topics, and keep their minds vital and energetic.

4.  An Indoor Cactus is a Great Learning Experience

Cactus plants in a container near the window.
Kids can develop certain behavioral skills and learn how to be responsible for by taking care of cacti.

No matter if your green thumb is looking a bit on the black side or if you have a child that is interested in the things of the natural world, having a cactus indoors is a great learning experience and can provide you or your child with a sense of accomplishment.

If you’ve never cared for a plant or are looking to broaden your gardening horizons, looking after an indoor plant is a rewarding experience that won’t take up too much of your time with maintenance, while still allowing you to enjoy the natural elements indoors.

For children, having a cactus at home will give them a chance to learn responsibility as they water and check on the conditions of the cactus (such as making sure it’s receiving enough light and isn’t being exposed to cold conditions). This can better prepare them for potentially looking after a future pet or for being in a school setting.

5.  They Can Help You Heal

Though this may not apply to every household, it’s worth mentioning that having a cactus indoors has the potential of helping someone who’s sick recover more quickly. Plants in hospital rooms have been shown to help patients heal faster due to their soothing effects and stress-reducing properties.


If you’ve recently had a medical procedure, caring for your indoor cactus may even significantly reduce the time it takes to recover.

6.  Caring for an Indoor Cactus Can Be Therapeutic

A person checking the moisture of the cactus.
Indoor cacti are ideal for healing trauma since the process of taking care of them can be therapeutic

Having a cactus at home and caring for it can be therapeutic for those who have endured some type of trauma. Rather than focusing on the traumatic event solely, the mind can wander to the cactus, caring for it, and focusing on its needs while working through the events underwent.

7.  They Can Reduce Outdoor or Indoor Background Noise

It’s become a popular trend to use flora to lower the noise you hear in your garden, but did you know that having a plant indoors could help with noise issues, as well?

Indoor cactus in apot.
Placing cacti next to your doors, windows or in your workspace can help to lower the noise level and induce a calming effect.

Cacti can help reduce the amount of background noise you hear in your home whenever you’re trying to relax. This is due to their surface area bouncing noise off of it and away from you. Placing cacti next to your doors, windows, in your workspace, or around comfort rooms can help to lower the noise level and induce a calming effect.

The Best Cacti to Have at Home

While any cactus would have positive effects on your health at home, there are a few species that we’d recommend due to their vibrant colors, bigger sizes, and unique appearances:

  • Christmas Cactus: This cactus adorns itself in vibrant red, pink, white, or orange flowers and fans out in drooping, long branches. Christmas Cactus can get quite large, so it’s best to place them near a big window.
  • Moon Cactus: the Moon Cactus is small and compact, making it perfect for a desk. It boasts a bright, rounded bulb of yellows, oranges, pinks, and reds top a deep green stem.
  • Old Lady Cactus: Cute and fuzzy (though spikey, so be careful), the Old Lady Cactus is covered in white fur and boasts a colorful ring of pink blooms in the summer.
  • Bunny Ears Cactus: It’s as adorable as it sounds and will surely increase your mood. Bunny-Ears Cactus pads look like a rabbit’s ears and are covered in tiny white hairs that give them a fluffy appearance. In the warmer months, these cacti will blossom in summer, producing yellow flowers and fruits.
  • Star Cactus: This dainty cactus is in the shape of a star and can be placed just about anywhere in your home. During the summer months, the Star Cactus pretties itself up with a large, yellow flower right in the center of the plant.

These cacti would provide your home with brilliant color, improving the overall look and feel of your home, as well as your mood. They’re all also easy to care for, taking away any stresses you may have of maintaining a plant.

A christmas cactus.
Having a Christmas Cactus at home will not only benefit you but also create a charming environment.

Final thoughts

While, at first glance, it may not seem as though having a cactus at home would provide you and your family with many health benefits, the truth is quite the contrary. There are a plethora of benefits to having a cactus at home, helping to improve both your physical and mental condition, as well as potentially improving the relationships in the home -all while simultaneously adding a splash of natural color and liveliness to your decor.

Last update on 2023-07-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

read this next

Do Cacti Plants Die After Flowering? This is an interesting question, and I’m sure many of you have wondered the same thing before. Thankfully, it has a very simple answer as well! So stick around, and let’s find out what happens after a Cactus Flowering!
Ever wondered how raw cactus tastes? You may be missing out on some of the most delicious foods in existence. You will be surprised to know most cacti can be eaten raw and even without any preparation at all.
Propagating desert rose can be a little delicate. It is a great flower to have in your garden, as it attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. The Desert rose or Adenium obesum is a flowering plant. It is a relative of the dog rose family and related to the apple. It can survive in a variety of weather conditions, from freezing to scorching heat.
Desert rose is a drought tolerant plant. It requires direct sunlight to bloom fully. Desert Rose can grow in the following conditions: Well-drained soil, while it has shallow roots, You should prepare well drained soil with rich organic material before you plant it, and make sure that you water it regularly.
Sansevieria, is a beautiful and easy-to-care-for indoor houseplant that many people use as a decorative element in their home décor. It is very popular for its durability and relatively maintenance free care. Learn how to take care of Sansevieria with our essential guide.
Nepenthes are perhaps the most unusual, fantastic and misunderstood of all carnivorous plants. They comprise the largest plant family in the world, with over 800 species from all continents except Antarctica.
The short answer is that most cacti, or succulents, are native to warm zones in Central and South America and North Africa. Since humans have been growing and shipping these plants around the world for use as ornamental landscaping for more than a century, you might find them just about anywhere now!
If your Succulent is turning brown or losing its leaves, it’s probably time to give it a little less water. Follow our 5 Sign Method and use your own eyes to determine if your succulent needs more or less time spent in the water
The Golden Barrel Cactus is a very popular plant among people who grow cacti. The plant has an interesting appearance and comes in different shades of green, yellow and sometimes even pink! You can also grow these exotic looking plants indoors if you wish. Read on to find out more about Golden barrel cactus care.
Buddhas Temple plant
This plant, also known as a temple tree, comes from South Africa. It has striking leaves that usually range from red to pink to white and are either solid or variegated. In their native habitat, they grow on cliffs and rocky areas in the winter months and are deciduous. They prefer partial to full shade and well-drained acidic soil, making them a wonderful choice for bonsai culture in the home.
Aeonium succulents are easy to propagate and grow in small indoor containers. The process is simple, inexpensive and only takes a little time to complete. All you need is a healthy plant, a few small pots, bonemeal and a cutting tool.
A soil.
Although growing cacti plants can be challenging, using the right soil makes the work a little bit easier. Good potting soil that is well-drained and nutrient-rich will make your plants thrive and look healthy
How many times have you seen a species of Haworthia you like, and wished you could have some more but didn’t have the right conditions to make them yourself? Propagate Haworthia plants by leaf-divisions, offsets or leaf cuttings. By far the easiest method is by leaf-division.

Receive the latest news

Get Our Cacti Newsletter

Stay updated with the latest facts, tips, advice, and more!

Your privacy is important to us.