The first "Forest Healing Green Prescription" in China has been proven to help the elderly build muscle and improve their sleep.

The Yunlin County Gukeng Shibi Forest Healing Base was approved by the Tourism Administration of the Ministry of Transport as a "designated tourist area" with the theme of forest healing on October 30. The county government held an international forum today (2nd) to announce the first domestic "green prescription" human test results, which confirmed that forest healing can help improve the elderly's muscle strength, walking speed, grip strength and sleep quality. County Mayor Zhang Lishan said that in the future, she will strive to include forest healing prescriptions in the "Prevention and Delay of Disability Care Plan" to promote healthy aging through natural healing.

Caoling Shibi is adjacent to Nantou Zhushan and Lugu. It has more than 516 hectares of Mengzong bamboo forest. According to monitoring by the National Taiwan University Experimental Forest Team, the highest negative ions per cubic meter reached more than 18,000. The county government built a forest healing park, held a forest healing season, and was certified as a world bamboo landmark by the World Bamboo Organization, attracting tourists to hike and experience forest healing.

Zhang Lishan pointed out that the county government signed an MOU with Chungnam University in South Korea in 2023, introducing South Korea's leading experience and following the scientific verification model of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). The team of Zhang Kaijie, director of the Department of Neurology, Yunlin Branch, National Taiwan University Hospital, formulated a "Forest Healing Clinical Prescription" that is in line with Taiwan's local conditions, and arranged for 36 people over the age of 50 to conduct 16 actual tests over 8 weeks. Participants reported improved sleep and energy, stronger leg muscles, and the ability to walk further.

Zhang Kaijie said that the study found that participants' muscle strength, walking speed, grip strength, sleep quality and quality of life were significantly improved. In the future, it can be combined with the National Health Service's Integrated Care for the Elderly Guidelines (ICOPE) to provide more health intervention methods for the elderly.

Shen Jingfen, director of the National Health Service, pointed out that the National Health Service promotes the assessment of the inherent abilities of the elderly and maintains the cognitive, muscle strength, nutrition and mental health of the elderly through resources such as community nutrition centers and silver fitness clubs. Yunlin combines forest healing, medical treatment and preventive medicine to verify the effectiveness with scientific evidence, which is worth learning from.

Zhang Lishan emphasized that the county government will, based on actual measurement results, strive to include forest healing prescriptions in prevention and delaying disability care plans, reduce health insurance and medical burdens, and build Caoling Shibi into an international demonstration base for precision forest healing in the Asia-Pacific region.