Humans owe everything, yes, everything, to plants. While we might like to think of ourselves as the pinnacle of evolution, the truth is far humbler: we are essentially plant spin-offs. Unlike plants, we can’t conjure life from sunlight, water and air. Instead, we rely entirely on plants to build the tissue, organs and bones that make us human. Even the animals we consume, are merely middlemen in this process, having borrowed their sustenance from, you guessed it - plants.

Plants, however, are entirely self-sufficient. They don't need us to exhale carbon dioxide; there’s plenty in the atmosphere for their photosynthetic magic. But without plants, we wouldn’t last very long at all. Oxygen, the elixir of life, is a plant-exclusive product, made possible by chlorophyll, the same green pigment that also powers haemoglobin, the molecule responsible for delivering oxygen to every cell in our body. So, while we puff up with self-importance, remember: without chlorophyll, we’d be extinct.

The Family Resemblance

Remarkably, humans and plants share a striking genetic and cellular kinship. Both genomes boast around 25,000 genes and both our cells house the same six essential components, including mitochondria, cell membranes and nuclei. Those mitochondria, by the way, are the powerhouse of the cell and yes; plants have them too, because they also breathe. It’s almost as if humans are plants who stepped out of the garden and tried on legs for size.

So, when we say we were made from plants, we mean it at a molecular level. Our atoms and theirs are indistinguishable; we are, in essence, their descendants. This is why healing with plants is so potent: their energy merges with ours, revitalising our life force. It’s a partnership that transcends biology, dancing into the realm of the mystical, a reminder that healing is, at its core, a union with something greater than ourselves.

Wrought from Stardust

At the subatomic level, the distinction between humans, plants and even inanimate objects dissolves entirely. Everything, plants, people and planets are made of electrons and protons orbiting a nucleus. From this perspective, the boundary between species or even matter and energy, is a mirage. Materialist science likes to claim that consciousness emerges from matter, but mystics have always known the reverse is true: matter is the expression of Universal Consciousness. This Consciousness shapes and animates the body and mind, always striving to manifest through the physical. Healing, therefore, is most profound when it begins in the subtle realms, the place where Consciousness whispers its eternal truths to matter. So, whether you see yourself as a highly advanced plant or a Divine spark wrapped in flesh, one thing is clear: we are all part of the same cosmic garden, growing, breathing and thriving together.

Instincts in Parallel: Humans and Plants

Humans and plants share a surprising number of quirks, responding to the world around us with a repertoire of instinctual impulses. Both of us are locked in a constant dance with chemicals, gravity, light, moisture, infections, temperature swings, oxygen and CO₂ levels, parasites, diseases, physical disturbances, sound and touch. Plants, however, operate on a different tempo, think slow jazz versus speed metal. Their responses are so leisurely that their brilliant sophistication often goes unnoticed, overshadowed by the instant reactions of animals.

Take circadian rhythms, for example. Humans have an internal “biological clock” that dictates daily cycles of sleeping, eating and generally being human. Plants have their own version of this, tuned to environmental cues and the ceaseless tug of nature’s forces. It’s a 24-hour symphony, meticulously choreographed to keep them alive and thriving.

Consider the marvellous Calendula, a plant so attuned to light and temperature it could run its own weather app or certainly teach us much about alignment to circadian rhythm. Its flowers unfurl at dawn, tracking the sun’s path across the sky before folding closed at dusk, or sulking shut when the weather turns gloomy. Shakespeare himself took note of this botanical ballet, writing: “The marigold that goes with the sun and with him rises weeping.”

As Henry David Thoreau so poetically put it: “This earth which is spread out like a map around me is but the lining of my inmost soul exposed.” Plants, in their quiet grace, remind us that we, too, are deeply enmeshed in the rhythms of nature, guided by instincts as ancient as the sun. Sadly this intrinsic faculty is mostly occluded in modern human life.

Biological similarities

Humans and plants are kindred vessels, each brimming with intricate networks of tubes that move water, nutrients and energy with the finesse of master engineers. Plants, like us, are attuned to their environment - they sense heat and cold, adjusting their growth and water use accordingly. Ever the strategists, succulents stash away water during the rainy season, preparing for droughts like savvy survivalists.

Even the way we digest is echoed in the plant world. Our intestines teem with bacteria and fungi that fend off harmful invaders and transform substances into nutrients, much like the microbial life in fertile soil. For plants, these helpers unlock nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; for humans, they produce vital vitamins like K and B7. The parallels between our biology and plant biology suggest an enchanting possibility: what heals a plant might just heal us too.

Consider this: trees whip up salicylic acid to cool off under a scorching sun. We, borrowing from their wisdom, turned it into acetylsalicylic acid, better known as aspirin, to tame fevers. Plants, with their green genius, are not just healers but intuitive doctors of Nature, mending the maladies of life with their quiet, profound intelligence.

A Leafy Society

Just like us, plants are social beings, thriving in communities, sharing resources and even swapping news. Far from being passive or silent, plants engage in lively and meaningful conversations, a revelation researchers are only beginning to fully unearth. They warn their neighbours of impending herbivore attacks, spread the word about lurking pathogens and sound the alarm when drought looms. This constant exchange of information helps them adapt to their ever-changing surroundings. Plants even draw energy from one another, communicating through “nano-mechanical oscillations” - vibrations at the atomic level that resembles a botanical form of telepathy. But their chat doesn’t stop there. Plants “speak” through airborne chemicals, root-to-root exchanges of soluble compounds, threadlike fungal networks and perhaps even ultrasonic sounds. Their social networks are as intricate and vital to their survival as the human communities we cherish. "Snowflakes, leaves, humans, raindrops, stars, molecules. Microscopic entities all come in communities. The singular cannot in reality exist."  Paula Gunn Allen

Community Living

This sense of connection goes deeper. Plants can recognise and favour their own kin, a behaviour once thought to belong exclusively to animals. When potted with strangers, plants become competitive, ramping up their root growth to grab water and nutrients faster than their neighbours. But with family? They play nice, keeping their root growth in check and sharing resources. Impatiens plants even use root-based communication to identify their relatives, while acacia trees broadcast tannin signals through the air to warn others of danger in their midst. They strangle, squeeze and support one another simultaneously, like the entangled relationships of any close-knit community.

Masters of Adaptability

Plants are the ultimate masters of adaptability, thriving in unpredictable conditions with the finesse of seasoned survivors. They sense their surroundings and respond with precision, whether stretching toward the light or conserving energy during a drought. Shouldn’t we take a leaf from their book? As part of the intricate ecosystem we call home, it’s time we wake up to our role. Living consciously means more than recycling cans or hugging trees, it’s about recognising the dance between Nature and ourselves. How does the rhythm of the natural world shape us? And how do our actions echo back into the environment?

To truly thrive, we must nurture awareness, not just of the world outside but of the inner workings of our minds, the subtle currents of thought that guide how we engage with life. After all, living in harmony with Nature isn’t just a duty; it’s a mindset, a meditation and dare we say, an art.