Tropical Plant Products

Paper Products

• Many types of tropical trees are used to make paper products. For example, acacia magnum trees, which originate from the rainforests of Southeast Asia, provide excellent wood to make paper.

Medicine

• Some species of tropical plants are used in modern drugs and pharmaceuticals. For example, yage or ayahuasca, which is used in psychiatric drugs, is derived from the ayahuasca vine found in the Amazon rainforest. Calanolide, used for HIV treatment, is derived from two trees in the calophyllum species, which can be found in the rainforests of Malaysia.

Furniture

• The teak tree, from the rainforest of Southeast Asia, and the nargusta tree, from Central and South America, are used to make furniture and intricate woodwork.

Rubber

• Latex from the seringueiras tree in the Amazon is used in many rubber products, which in turn become part of items ranging from cars to pharmaceutical products.

Food Products

• About 10 percent of food colorants in Western society come from tropical plants in rainforests. Fruits such as avacados, bananas, guavas and pineapples--as well as sugar and vanilla--come from tropical plants.