# data[].attributes.headline
Look at the medicines that come from the rainforest!

# data[].attributes.subject
Look at the medicines that come from the rainforest!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When you next visit your local pharmacy to fill a prescription for yourself, a family member, or a friend, consider this: fully half of written prescriptions could not be filled without the cornucopia of gifts from the stunning biodiversity of the wild natural world. Half of the top ten prescription drugs in the U.S. are of animal, plant, or microorganism origin. Our debt to the biosphere is even more dramatically revealed when we look at cancer medications: a remarkable three-quarters of anti-cancer drugs spring from the web of life.

Nearly 90% of human diseases known to medical science can be treated with prescription drugs derived from nature. The benefits to humanity of nature-derived medicines are incalculable in terms of longevity, relief of suffering, and increase in the quality of life. And think of the hundreds of thousands of jobs provided to those that discover, grow, harvest, process, and market these medicinals. Billions upon billions of dollars have flowed into the world economy due to prescription medications arising from the planet's largess of biological diversity. Spending in the U.S. in 2010 for prescription drugs only was $259.1 billion and medicinals derived from nature were a huge piece of this. Nature supports both our health and economy.

Many of nature's medicines have become so integrated into our daily life that we think no more of them than we do a cell-phone, computers, or HDTV. Yet these medicines represent an irreplaceable cornerstone of the foundation of modern society. Prescription drugs are our most effective and most cost-efficient prevention and treatment of many leading diseases. We cannot imagine a world without antibiotics such as penicillins, cephalosporins, doxycycline, or erythromycin, without pain relievers, without muscle relaxants, without oral contraceptives, without cancer drugs like Taxol, without blood pressure lowering drugs like lisonopril, without digoxin for heart failure, without local anesthetics, without anticoagulants like coumarins for thrombosis, and the list goes on. A number of us might not be reading this article were it not for some of these medications. And if you believe healthcare is expensive now, think of the massive costs involved in caring for people prematurely incapacitated by, for instance, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, rampant infections, or diabetes.

The earth's tropical forests themselves are major contributors to the treatment of disease and relief of suffering. Below we look at one modern medicine from the South American Amazon and another from across the Atlantic on the eastern edge of Africa.
Tropical Viper Venom: Defeating The "Silent Killer"
The deciduous tropical forests and savannahs of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay are the habitats of the feared viper Bothrops jararaca often called Fer-De-Lance because of the distinguishing lance-like head. Snakebites from B. jararaca often result in the victim's collapse due to a massive drop in blood pressure. A cooperative effort between Brazilian biochemists, England's Royal College of Surgeons, and pharmaceutical company Squibb worked out how the viper venom caused that blood pressure decrease and exactly what chemical in the venom was responsible. That knowledge led to abatement of morbidity and mortality from the pathological effects of chronic high blood pressure, also called hypertension-"the silent killer."

The breakthrough was the synthetic chemical Captopril, crafted from the design template found in viper venom. Captopril was the first orally active member of a then-novel class of drugs called ACE inhibitors because of the biochemical component they block. In other words, this drug could be taken as a pill to reduce blood pressure to non-damaging levels-an enormous advance in medicine. As a group, Bothrops-derived ACE inhibitors represent one of the most effective and important drugs yet discovered since they improve the health and longevity of millions of people worldwide. In terms of their ability just to reduce morbidity and mortality, their impact is incalculable.

One billion people worldwide have high blood pressure, and projections are that by 2025 more than 1.5 billion will be victims of the disease (The Lancet; January 16, 2005). In the U.S., one out of three people have hypertensive disease. When hypertension goes uncontrolled or inadequately treated for prolonged periods, it increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, other cardiovascular diseases, and dementia.

There are now nine other close chemical relatives of captopril available for the treatment of hypertension. Widely familiar ones include lisonopril, the third most prescribed drug in the U.S., and enalapril. They all reduce blood pressure but differ in how they are handled by the human body.

Remarkably, these products originating from the ancient reptilian evolutionary struggle have therapeutic values in addition to life-sparing regulation of hypertension. They are useful in the therapy of congestive heart failure (CHF), they help patients with coronary or other vascular disease, regardless of hypertension problems, they may stave off atherosclerosis, and they can slow the progression of kidney disease in people with diabetes. In addition, there is good evidence that the long-term use of these venom-derived drugs may reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

We seem to have inherited a built-in genetic aversion, even hatred, of reptiles, especially snakes. The reptilian-derived medicines discussed in the foregoing pages have saved vastly more lives in the past few decades than reptiles have taken throughout the entire history of humans. Perhaps it may be time to heed the advice of author Richard Dawkins. "Our brains are separate and independent enough from our genes to rebel against them..." (Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene).
Madagascar Periwinkle: Flower Of Life
Each year in the United States alone, some 2,900 children and adolescents are diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), the most common malignancy of childhood. Fifty years ago, a diagnosis of ALL was a nearly certain death sentence. Today, at least eighty percent of cases of this pediatric cancer can be cured. This dramatic reversal, like a phoenix arising from the ashes, is due to careful intensive scientific study and the remarkable medicines of the Madagascar periwinkle ( Catharanthus roseus or Vinca rosea) that, in the U.S. alone, has rescued more than 100,000 children from an early death.

Known also as the rosy periwinkle, the Madagascar periwinkle is a shrub or sub-shrub up to three feet in height, endemic to Madagascar, but cultivated and naturalized over much of the tropics and subtropics. The Madagascar periwinkle should in no way be confused with Vinca minor, sometimes called common periwinkle, myrtle, or creeping myrtle, and often planted as a groundcover that has become an invasive exotic species threatening native plants in some parts of the U.S. The latter is a completely different species that is native to central and southern Europe and Turkey. Its chemical constituents are very different from the Madagascar periwinkle.

One of the molecular treasures isolated from the Madagascar periwinkle is Vincristine, which is chiefly responsible for medicine's current ability to cure children with life-threatening ALL. Yet the therapeutic bounties of Vincristine don't stop there as it is useful in the treatment of other cancers such as non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, rhabdomyosarcoma, neuroblastoma, and Wilms' tumor.

The Madagascar periwinkle also yields Vinblastine, another valuable antitumor agent that provides treatment options for cancers such as Hodgkin's disease, several lymphomas, advanced carcinoma of the testis, and Kaposi's sarcoma among others.

Vinblastine and Vincristine are of such complex molecular architecture that dependence on their laboratory chemical synthesis would make them prohibitively expensive for patient use. So even today, drug manufacturers rely on cultivation of the Madagascar periwinkle to provide these key medicinals.

Chemists have used the natural template supplied by the periwinkle to modify Vincristine and Vinblastine molecules into two other useful drugs: Vinorelbine for advanced small-cell lung cancer and fluorine-bearing Vinflunine, approved in Europe but not yet in the U.S., for therapy of advanced bladder cancer.

Our celebration of this victory over the dreaded disease ALL must be tempered by our knowledge of what has happened to the vibrant landscape that gifted us the Madagascar periwinkle. The island of Madagascar is a "hotspot" of biodiversity, harboring more than 250,000 species, three-quarters of which occur nowhere else. Since 1757, when French explorers brought the rosy periwinkle back to the royal court of France, the lands and biota of Madagascar have been ravaged so badly that it is likely that the world has lost "a priceless reservoir of plant and animal species" (Preston-Mafham, 1991). Ninety percent of its forests have been leveled, and life-sustaining soils have been washed away. How many medical advances have been irretrievably lost? Yet Madagascar still maintains such an astounding array of flora and fauna that it staggers biologists. There is much left to preserve in Madagascar and around the globe.

There is a legend that once the Italians placed rosy periwinkle garlands on the graves of infants, calling the periwinkle the "flower of death." How ironic indeed that scientific investigation should reveal that the "flower of death" is in fact a "flower of life."
Do We Know What We Are Losing?
The answer is NO!

Every day, some 80,000 acres of tropical rainforests are cleared, and another equivalent amount is degraded. Unknown numbers of species undergo extinction or are threatened with extinction. Mostly all of these occur without human knowledge, but there are some examples on record.

The U.S. National Cancer Institute funded a 1987 plant collection expedition on the island of Borneo in the Malaysian State of Sarawak. Among the samples obtained were those from the tree Calophyllum lanigerum var austrocoriaceum, an incredibly rare species. When extracts of this plant were discovered to show good antiviral activity toward the AIDS-causing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), researchers returned to the site of the original collection to find that the tree was gone, cut down for firewood or building purposes. No more C. lanigerum could be located. Fortunately, however, an intense search finally led to additional samples of C. lanigerum in the Singapore Botanic Garden. Over a century ago, the British had planted several collected specimens.

Calanolide A, a complex natural product, is obtained from the bark and latex of Calophyllum lanigerum var austrocoriaceum, and it is now undergoing clinical trials for the treatment of HIV infection. Medical research narrowly escaped a major scientific loss.

How many undocumented losses have occurred? We can glean a sense from the experiences of two botanists working with the Missouri Botanical Garden. In 1978, Alwyn Gentry and Calaway Dodson surveyed a small ridge called Centinela in in the Ecuadorean rainforest and discovered about 90 previously unknown plant species that were endemic-that occurred nowhere else. They returned to find in 1986 that the ridge had been completely cleared of forest. There was no trace of the 90 endemic species, and they have been presumed to now be extinct. We can also reasonably expect that unknown numbers of associated insects and other species winked out with the demise of these plants.

How many times this catastrophe has been repeated in the human-dominated biosphere is unknown, but odds are that valuable biological and medical knowledge has disappeared at human hands into oblivion along with wonderful life-forms that evolved over untold ages of evolutionary struggle. Indeed, we have not a rudimentary knowledge what we are losing. There can be no more obligatory challenge than preserving life-all life-on Earth.

Learn More:
Sustaining Life, How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity, edited by Eric Chivian and Aaron Bernstein, Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN13: 9780195175097

Madagascar: A Natural History, Ken Preston-Mafham 1991, Facts-On-File, New York.
www.wildmadagascar.org/home.html www.endangeredspecieshandbook.org/chapters.php
Author: Paul F. Torrence article © 2012 Paul Torrence
Paul Torrence is Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Northern Arizona University. He received a Ph.D. in chemistry from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1969 and then worked at the U.S. National Institutes of Health where he was a section chief. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Wilderness Land Trust.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Owed to Nature: Medicines from Tropical Forests - Rainforest Trust

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When you next visit your local pharmacy to fill a prescription for yourself, a family member, or a friend, consider this: fully half of written prescriptions could not be filled without the cornucopia of gifts from the stunning biodiversity of the wild natural world. Half of the top ten prescription drugs in the U.S.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi

Our surroundings are sometimes taken for granted. Even something as unique as the rainforest is forgotten. It seems a little bit of knowledge and a shove in the right direction can get people to appreciate the environment. So, why not start with the wonder that is the rainforest?

Even though rainforests only cover less than two percent of the Earth's entire surface area, they are home to 50 percent of the plants and animals. They are also found on every continent, except Antarctica. That's pretty amazing! Now, let's see what they have to offer in plants. Out of 40,000 plant species, here are 10 amazing rainforest plants that will blow your mind and get you reacquainted with our planet.

Habitation: Found in Central America, South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and non-tropical regions like the United States thanks to modern agricultural technologies.

Habitation: Extremely adaptable and grows in most climates with the majority being found in Central America, South America and in countries along the Andes Mountains.

Habitation: Prefers high altitudes for shade with a wet and dry season. Originated in Ethiopia and Sudan and now more than two-thirds grow in Latin America.

Habitation: Located in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru.

Habitation: Native to the tropical forests in Mexico and Central America.

Habitation: Grows below altitudes of 1,000 feet in an area that receives about 4 inches of rain per month, originated in the lowland rainforests of Amazon River basins and can now be found in southern Mexico.

Habitation: Located in the Amazon region of South America including Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.

Habitation: Found in the Neotropics including southern Mexico, Central and South America and the West Indies.

Habitation: Native to southern Mexico, Belize and northeastern Guatemala.

Habitation: Found in the Neotropics including southern Mexico, Central and South America and the West Indies. One species is also found in western Africa.

Some of our favorite foods and plants come from the rainforest; that's why it's so important to preserve the rainforest in a respectful and sustainable manner. Imagine living without bananas, chocolate and beautiful orchids and poinsettias. Now, that would be disappointing.

Want some more amazing rainforest galleries?
:: 10 Rainforest Creatures that Defy Imagination
:: 10 Celebrities Fighting to Save the Rainforests
:: 8 Rainforest Eco Resorts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi Our surroundings are sometimes taken for granted. Even something as unique as the rainforest is forgotten. It seems a little bit of knowledge and a shove in the right direction can get people to appreciate the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
Botanists are so important for the protection of the rainforest, have a look why!

# data[].attributes.body
What do they actually do?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Study of Plants and Flowers - A Botany Guide for Kids and Students | Avas Flowers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Did you know that there are about 400,000 plant species on Earth? Many thousands of plants on land and in the ocean are not identified or categoriz...

# data[].attributes.headline
Look at these awesome pics on Botany - How many plants can you name?

# data[].attributes.subject
Look at these awesome pics on Botany - How many plants can you name?

# data[].attributes.headline
Look at this cool video on botanists looking for rare plants!

# data[].attributes.subject
Look at this cool video on botanists looking for rare plants!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Onward: Hawaii Botanist Races to Save Rare Plants | National Geographic

# data[].attributes.body
Organic Medicine in our rain-forests

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
http://gallery.usgs.gov/videos/571 In this episode, we talk about organic carbon. The benefit of studying carbon extends to many issues, including tracing mercury contamination or investigating disinfection by-products in drinking water treatment. It is amazing what can be discovered by monitoring the volume and flux of carbon through the environment.

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/bio_intro.html

# data[].attributes.body
http://www.avasflowers.net/the-study-of-plants-and-flowers-a-botany-guide-for-kids-and-stude

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Plants are vital to all life on earth. They convert light from the sun into energy we can eat, and even use for fuel. They also release the oxygen we breathe. Botanists study plants to try to understand how these processes work. Their research is involved in enhancing crops, developing medicines, cleaning up contaminated sites, and even powering our cars.

It's an exciting field on the cutting edge of the clean energy economy. It's also a profession for nature lovers. Some botanists study how plants relate to their natural communities. The work of these plant ecologists helps conserve endangered species and natural areas. Regardless of the specialty, we all benefit from their work.

Simply put, botany is the study of plants. While it may sound straightforward, botany includes the study of everything from algae to giant Redwood trees, from the microscopic level to the ecosystem level.

What Does a Botanist Do?

Botanists study various aspects of plants. For example, they may study their physiological processes such as photosynthesis at the molecular level, the evolutionary history and relationships of plants, or their current relationships with their environments.

They may focus on the agricultural applications of plants used for food, fiber, fuel, turf, and cover crops, studying their responses to stresses from pests, disease, and climate variations. They may also work on plant breeding to development hardier strains.
Plant ecologists study the relationships plants have with their environments, each other, and the wildlife communities to which they belong. Their work focuses on conservation of native species, reducing the invasion of non-native exotic plants, and improving the ecosystem services (like clean air and erosion protection) they provide.

Some botanists conduct experiments to enhance the yield, disease resistance, drought resistance, or nutritional value of crops. They may also develop environmentally safe ways to control weeds, diseases, and pests. Others study plant processes at the molecular level to find new uses for them as medicines, remediation tools, raw materials, biofuels, or fabrics. Some botanists study the effects of different types of pollution on plants. They use what they learn to advise policymakers and help protect endangered species and natural areas.

The important work of botanists is critical to environmental conservation. Their research helps determine how different plants may react to climate change, and how to protect native species from invasive ones. Agricultural botanists work at the front lines of the food crisis, and help increase supplies of medicines, fibers, and timber as well.

Learn more about botany: study of plants.

Where Does a Botanist Work?

Botanists work for seed companies, where they conduct research to enhance seed properties. They also work on genetic engineering or product development for biotechnology firms and pharmaceutical companies. Some work at museums, parks, and botanicals gardens. Others are employed as teachers at colleges, universities, and secondary schools.

Some work primarily indoors in laboratories and offices. Others botanists, such as those who work in remediation or agriculture, spend much of their time working outside. They may work in cities, near farms, or at wilderness areas. They typically work full-time, sometimes putting in more than 40 hours per week.

What Is the Average Botanist Salary?

While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) doesn't collect information on botanists specifically, it lists the 2012 average annual salary for soil and plant scientists as $58,990. However, The Scientist's 2014 Life Sciences Salary Survey gives the average 2014 salary for plant scientists as $92,890.

Table data taken from BLS (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes191013.htm)

Botany Jobs & Job Description

Botanist careers focus on the usage, development, classification and monitoring of the Earth's plant life. Some botanists focus on teaching or fieldwork, while others enter either theoretical or - most commonly - applied research as there is still much that scientists do not know about the application of plant compounds to human life and health. This means that duties vary significantly from job to job, but the list below includes job duties found within a typical botanist's scope of work.

Review literature, research, and field work samples to stay current in the field

Record plant supply and usage

Plan plant resource development

Forecast and monitor plant usage and green mass increase/reduction over many years

Use predictive computer models to aid in analyzing the best ways to manage available biomass in a given region

Evaluate the effect of environmental and land-use on plant mass

Respond to biomass catastrophes like floods, droughts, fires, and super storms

Evaluate different methods for remediation

Ensure soil, air, and water quality are monitored and concerns are being met

Conduct or contribute to climate impact studies

Botanists with professional experience are often given a leadership role in the workgroup. Many times, this results in additional tasks like:

Planning and coordinating projects involving the analysis and evaluation of biomass and its uses and impacts on local and global populations

Assessing and reporting on the impact of soil or pollutants on plant mass

Assessing and implementing different ecological models in order to generate information or test theories

Ensuring that recordkeeping and data collection methods are accurate for field and lab work

Negotiating use of federally owned forest and green resources

Supporting team members' research

Establishing effective workgroup systems for communication and budgeting

Constructing funding and grant applications

Advising administrators and other stakeholders regarding botanical information

Providing consultation to external agencies, professionals, or researchers

Planning, organizing, and participating in outreach and advocacy programs

Designing and implementing team budgets, milestones, and benchmarks

Mentoring team members

What Is the Job Demand for Botanists?

BLS predicts that positions for soil and plant scientists will grow at an average rate of 8% to 14%, adding 6,700 jobs between 2012 and 2022.

What Botany Careers Are Available?

Botanists can work their way up to positions as laboratory directors, research unit supervisors, government or research section heads, and research vice presidents/directors at private companies.

How Do I Get a Botany Degree?

Botany-related positions generally require a bachelor's degree. Most botanists have degrees in botany, plant science, plant biology, or general biology. Students in these programs study mathematics, chemistry, physics, and biology. Courses in social studies and public affairs are also helpful for aspiring botanists interested in conservation issues. These degrees open up opportunities in entry-level positions as laboratory technicians or technical assistants. Many positions require a master's or doctoral degree. A Ph.D. is required for most teaching and research positions in colleges and universities.

Candidates with practical, hands-on experience will have the best job opportunities. Internships, volunteering, and summer work experience at parks, plant nurseries, farms, labs, and experiment stations can help you gain experience and a foot in the door.

Botany - Related Degrees

What Kind of Societies and Professional Organizations Do Botanists Have?

The Botanical Society of America encompasses all areas of plant biology. It holds an annual conference, publishes journals, offers awards and grants, provides training, and hosts a job board.

The American Society of Plant Biologists also holds conferences and publishes professional journals. It organizes local sections, as well as a section for Environmental and Ecological Plant Physiology. It also hosts a job board.

Other Recommend Resources

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Become a Botanist | EnvironmentalScience.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plants are vital to all life on earth. They convert light from the sun into energy we can eat, and even use for fuel. They also release the oxygen we breathe. Botanists study plants to try to understand how these processes work.