What are some Rainforest medicine?
Tropical rainforests, which account for only seven percent of the world's total land mass, harbor as much as half of all known varieties of plants. Experts say that just a four-square-mile area of rainforest may contain as many as 1,500 different types of flowering plants and 750 species of trees, all which have evolved specialized survival mechanisms over the millennia that mankind is just starting to learn how to appropriate for its own purposes.Rainforests are a Rich Source of MedicinesScattered pockets of native peoples around the world have known about the healing properties of rainforest plants for centuries and perhaps longer. But only since World War II has the modern world begun to take notice, and scores of drug companies today work in tandem with conservationists, native groups and various governments to find, catalog and synthesize rainforest plants for their medicinal value.Rainforest Plants Produce Life-saving MedicinesSome 120 prescription drugs sold worldwide today are derived directly from rainforest plants. And according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, more than two-thirds of all medicines found to have cancer-fighting properties come from rainforest plants. Examples abound. Ingredients obtained and synthesized from a now-extinct periwinkle plant found only in Madagascar (until deforestation wiped it out) have increased the chances of survival for children with leukemia from 20 percent to 80 percent.Some of the compounds in rainforest plants are also used to treat malaria, Heart disease, bronchitis, hypertension, rheumatism, diabetes, muscle tension, arthritis, glaucoma, dysentery and tuberculosis, among other health problems. And many commercially available anesthetics, enzymes, hormones, laxatives, cough mixtures, antibiotics and antiseptics are also derived from rainforest plants and herbs.here are some examples:Saw PalmettoFeverfewThe extract from the berries of this plant is used to treat urinary problems. The native people have used this for generations. ValerianThis plant contains parthenolide , which acts as a serotonin inhibiting the release of serotonin which aides as a pain reducer. ConeflowerValerian is used as a sleep aid across the world, and it has been used for thousands of years. It's also effective as a mild sedative. Hawthorn HerbThe purple coneflower is used in the rainforest by the native people as a treatment for viral illnesses. It has been known to stimulate the white blood cells. EggplantHawthorn is used for treatment of heart failure. Hawthorne contains potent antioxidants.The extract of this plant has been known to treat many types of skin cancer, as well as various skin conditions.
