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 Medicines
Scattered 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 Medicines
Some 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:
Grass
The Minnamurra Rainforest in Australia is a subtropical rainforest, characterized by a mix of temperate and tropical species. It is not classified as a purely tropical rainforest due to its cooler temperatures and some different plant species compared to those found in equatorial regions.
The rainforest is full of plants. Plants release oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. We take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide when we breathe. Without oxygen we would die. Many medicines are also found in the rainforest. It is possible there are more medicines to be discovered there still, since we have much of the rainforest left to explore.
Some medicinal plants in the rainforest that can help with common diseases in the US include cinchona for malaria, curare for muscle relaxant properties, and rosy periwinkle for cancer-fighting compounds. These plants have bioactive compounds that have been traditionally used by indigenous communities and are now being studied for their potential medical benefits.
Some ecosystems in a rainforest include the canopy, understory, forest floor, and river systems. These ecosystems are interconnected and support a wide variety of plants and animals, each playing a unique role in the overall rainforest ecosystem.
a lot of stuff.
medicine
Medicines can be derived from plants; the Amazon rainforest has pelnty of plants.
oxygen,medicine,and wood
1. rainforest are important because they provide us with medicine for oue illnesses
rain forest give us lots of medicine that we can shuve up are ***
It does produce over 40% of today's medicine.
Medicine, fruits, antibiotics, and/or sugar cane
it's 1/4
there is no threats in the rainforest
One positive of humans impacting the rainforest is the discovery of new compounds and plants. Medicine has been greatly impacted by these discoveries.
they search for plant and them test them on animals in tribes