For thousands of years plants have been used to alleviate anxiety and depression, with Pliny the Elder recommending borage, and the Roman military doctor Proscurides extolling the benefits of St John’s Wort, as early as the 1st century AD.

Now the NHS is catching up, prescribing plants instead of pills in a pilot scheme in Greater Manchester.

Instead of sedatives and anti-depressants, patients are being given a tubs of herbs, pot plants or trays of vegetables to tend in the hope that caring for a living thing will help lift their spirits.

Doctors have also selected specific herbs for their mood-boosting benefits, including lemon balm which is used in aromatherapy to relieve anxiety, stress and shock and catmint which helps release tension and aids insomnia.

After looking after the plant for a while, patients are encouraged to bring it back to the surgery’s communal garden, and get involved in the work. It is believed to be the first scheme of its kind in the country.