Why are rainforests of great interest to pharmaceutical companies?

The rainforest plants provide aids for research. These plants hold promises for not only treating disease, but also producing a self defense mechanism that could potentially reduce the needs for using pesticides.

How many pharmaceuticals come from the rainforest?

The Amazon rainforest is the most abundant greenhouse on the planet with more than 80,000 plant species. It is also the world’s largest medicine cabinet, with around 25 per cent of all drugs used today derived from rainforest plants.

How the rainforests help us with medicine and disease control?

Rainforests also provide us with many valuable medicinal plants, and may be a source of a cure from some deadly diseases. logging trucks carry away trees that have been cut down. Forests can be managed effectively without endangering rare species of plants and animals and without risking global environmental damage.

What rainforest plants are used for medicine?

Top 10 Medicinal Plants Of The Amazon

• Wasai. Great for kidney health, the root of the Wasai tree is often ground up and prescribed as a diuretic.
• Lapacho.
• Cordoncillo.
• Tawari Tree Bark.
• Sodo.
• Pusangade Motelo.
• Cola de raton (Rat’s Tail)
• Canellila.

Why is the Amazon rainforest important for medicine?

Tropical forest species serve Western surgery and internal medicine in three ways. First, extracts from organisms can be used directly as drugs. For maladies ranging from nagging headaches to lethal contagions such as malaria, rainforest medicines have provided modern society with a variety of cures and pain relievers.

Why is rainforest so important?

As well as the vivid beauty that comes with great diversity in plants and animals, rainforests also play a practical role in keeping our planet healthy. By absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing the oxygen that we depend on for our survival. The absorption of this CO2 also helps to stabilize the Earth’s climate.

What are rainforests and why are they important?

Rainforests are often called the lungs of the planet for their role in absorbing carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, and increasing local humidity. Rainforests also stabilize climate, house incredible amounts of plants and wildlife, and produce nourishing rainfall all around the planet.

Does medicine come from the rainforest?

The Amazon Rainforest is home to more than 80,000 plant species. In Western modern medicine, around 25\% of all drugs are derived from rainforest plants. That’s an impressive statistic, especially considering that less than 5\% of Amazon plant species have been studied for their potential medicinal benefits.

Why are rainforests important economically?

Biological diversity (8,000 years ago, they covered about double the current area.) Rainforests are a priceless and economically vital source of food and medicine, wood and water, building and craft materials and much, much more.