The Rain Forest

About 317 species of insects, animals, and plants are being completely lost each day due to the destruction of the rain forest. This means about 50,000 species are completely gone from the earth each year. As these plant and animal species die off, it becomes more and more difficult for physicians and scientists to find possible cures for life-threatening diseases. There are about 121 prescription drugs that are sold around the world that come from plant-derived ingredients, but very little of these prescriptions have actually been tested by scientists, since there are not enough plants for both testing and medication production.

The rain forest was also home to a number of tribes; since people have cut the trees down in order to build homes and businesses, indigenous tribes and Indians have been driven away from the forest for centuries. For instance, in Brazil, where many of the rain forests are located, European colonists drove out the tribes originally living there since the early 1900s. This means that the knowledge of how to use the plants and extracts that are naturally found in the forest has been lost. There are still some medicine men and shamans that live in these areas currently, but they are over 70.

The rain forest that has become the most popular is the Amazon. It is located in Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru. If this body of trees and exotic plants were a country, it would be the ninth largest in the world. The rain forest has been called the Lungs of the Planet because more than 20 percent of the oxygen that we breathe is produced there. And, not only do we need the collection of trees to breathe, a large portion of the world's diet comes from this region as well. Fruits like pineapple, bananas and mango are grown there, as well as spices such as black pepper, chocolate, cloves, and ginger. And, the ingredients that are found in this area have healing properties as well. The U.S. National Cancer Institute has identified about 3000 different plants that can fight cancer cells, which is yet another reason why humans have to do all they can to preserve these natural medicines.

If you want to know more about how to save the rain forest, check out www.epa.gov or www.rain-tree.com for more helpful tips and facts.