It?s not only animals we?re losing when the rainforest disappears.! We cannot be sure of how many plants with possible medicinal uses are being destroyed before they can be properly investigated, but we can be almost certain that some have been.! So far, more than 2,000 rainforest plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties.! Scientists have only tested one in ten plants and have studied only one in one hundred in detail. Around 25% of all medicines used by people in the United States are made using ingredients originating from the rainforest.

Curare, which is extracted from a rainforest vine, is used in surgery as a muscle relaxant in carefully measured doses.! Tribal peoples use curare in stronger doses as a poison on darts and arrows!! Meanwhile, the rosy periwinkle from the rainforests of Madagascar is used to treat leukaemia.! Who knows how many other cures remain undiscovered deep in the forests? Stored in the forests, as yet unidentified cures to diseases such as cancer, AIDS and Alzheimers Disease may well be awaiting discovery.