John Robbins
See book keywords and concepts |  Imports of beef by the United States from southern Mexico and Central America during the past 25 years has been the major factor in the loss of about half of the tropical forests there—all for the sake of keeping the price of hamburger in the United States about a nickel less than it would have been otherwise. | | Norman Myers, author of The Primary' Source: tropical forests and Our Futuref
In Central America, cattle typically graze on land that was rainforest before being cut down and burned to be used for rangeland. According to the Rainforest Action Network, 55 square feet of tropical rainforest, an area the size of a small kitchen, are destroyed for the production of every fast-food hamburger made from rainforest beef.1
"Rainforest beef is typically found in fast food hamburgers or processed beef products. | | It contained deserts, grasslands, tropical forests, and even a miniature ocean. Four thousand different plant and animal species had been painstakingly chosen and carefully brought in to produce a self-sustaining ecological world. The scientists were accompanied by insects, pollinators, fish, reptiles, and mammals that were selected to maintain ecosystem functions.
The bubble was named Biosphere II —the Earth itself being Biosphere I. |
James A. Duke, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  I was happy to learn to do this, but I wasn't happy with the reason behind the project, which was to check how herbicides (read "defoliants") might alter the normal succession of tree seedlings in tropical forests. I also spent some time as curator of the USDA seed collection.
Focusing on Medicinal HerLs
Two years into this USDA program, I got a call from the Battelle Memorial Institute, a research organization in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle had landed a big contract from the old Atomic Energy Commission for a feasibility study of a sea-level canal across Panama and Colombia. | | This herb is a safe, mild tranquilizer that grows only in tropical forests.
Licorice. Here's an anti-ulcer herb that is simply too hard to grow, at least where I come from. (This fact comes from someone who has tried several times to grow licorice but has never been successful.)
Milk thistle. The prickly leaves of this herb make it too painful to harvest yourself.
Red pepper. A plant that grows in tropical climates, red pepper contains a potent, pain-relieving compound—capsaicin—that often shows up in standardized products.
Teatree. |
Textbook of Natural Medicine 2nd Edition Volume 2Michael T. Murray, ND
See book keywords and concepts | | Gymnema sylvestre
Gymnema sylvestre, a plant native to the tropical forests of India, has long been used as a treatment for diabetes. Recent scientific investigation has upheld its effectiveness in both type I and type II diabetes.95,96
Gymnema sylvestre appeared on the US market a few years ago; originally it was hyped as a "sugar blocker". Manufacturers erroneously claimed that Gymnema could block the absorption of sugar in the gastrointestinal tract and allow the sugar to pass through the intestinal tract unabsorbed. |
Muhammed Majeed, Ph.D. Vladimir Badmaev, M.D., Ph.D. Uma Shivakumar, Ph.D. R. Rajendran, M.S.
See book keywords and concepts | | Origin, geographical distribution, and varieties243
A native of South and Southeast Asia, turmeric probably originated in the slopes of hills in the tropical forests of the Western Ghats of South India. Curcuma, a genus in the family Zingiberaceae (of the suborder Zingiberoidae), consists of more than a hundred species and several varieties of rhizomatous herbs, grown extensively in East and Southeast Asia. The commonly used ginger, Zingiber officinale Rose, is also an economically important member of the same family. |
Andrew Chevallier
See book keywords and concepts |  Habitat & Cultivation Native to Central America, Peruvian balsam grows wild in tropical forests. It is cultivated in Central and South America and India. A thick, reddish brown oleo-resin (balsam) exudes from incisions made in the bark. Part Used Oleo-resin. Constituents The oleo-resin contains 50—65% volatile oil (mainly benzyl benzoate and benzyl cinnamate) and resins. Medicinal Actions & Uses Peruvian balsam is strongly antiseptic and stimulates repair of damaged tissue. It is usually taken internally as an expectorant and decongestant to treat emphysema, bronchitis, and bronchial asthma. |
Adrian Forsyth and Kenneth Miyata
See book keywords and concepts |  Bullhorn acacias are characteristic of tropical forests with a pronounced dry season, so this clearing activity not only reduces competition but may also reduce the risk of fire damage. Cheating does occur; at least one species of Pseudomyrmex and several species of ants in the genus Crematogaster will occupy bullhorns and take advantage of the tree without any reciprocity. They are opportunistic parasites on this system.
The sophistication of the ant-acacia system is not a lone miracle of coevolution. It is matched by another ant-plant interaction in the New World tropics. |
Andrew Chevallier
See book keywords and concepts | | Habitat & Cultivation Guarana is native to tropical forests of the Brazilian Amazon and is also cultivated in Brazil. The seeds are gathered when ripe. Parts Used Seeds.
Constituents Guarana contains xanthine derivatives (including up to 7% caffeine, together with theobromine and theophylline), tannins, and saponins. The xanthines are stimulant, diuretic, and reduce fatigue over the short term.
History & Folklore In Brazil, guarana is traditionally prepared by roasting, crashing, and drying the seeds. The resulting "cakes" are made into a tea, taken to counter fatigue or to treat diarrhea. |
Adrian Forsyth and Kenneth Miyata
See book keywords and concepts | | Given the economic state of most tropical nations, conservation of tropical forests must have an economic incentive. In North American conservation circles, there is continual conflict among those who believe that certain sorts of economic activities are compatible with the long-term health of the environment. If conservation efforts are to succeed in the rain forest, this conflict must be avoided.
We are not suggesting that nature reserves and national parks are frivolous in developing nations. | | This does not happen in many tropical forests. Nutrients crucial to plant growth may be leached away quickly and lost, or they may be trapped by the mycorrhizal mat and returned to the living forest. Some studies have shown that as little as one tenth of 1 percent of forest nutrients ever penetrate below the first five centimeters of soil in tropical rain forest. The mycorrhizae are agents of rapid digestion as well as efficient assimilators. | | The beauty of the flowers of tropical forests is portioned out, both spatially and seasonally.
To be fully appreciated, the subtle beauty of a rain forest must be seen close up and in detail. The ecological and evolutionary messages conveyed by the flanges, folds, colors, and fragrances of tropical flowers can only be divined by intimate study. The effort will be worthwhile, for the utility of these flowers is as extraordinary as their beauty. The fact that an orchid flower can mimic the sexual behavior of a tachinid fly well enough to fool the flies is almost miraculous. | | Ants constitute a large part of the animal biomass in many tropical forests. They can easily outweigh all of the vertebrates in a parcel of lowland rain forest, despite the fact that even the largest ants in tropical America are rather small creatures. Ants are far more important than their biomass alone implies, for they touch on the lives of almost everything that lives in the forest. No matter where you step, no matter where you lean, no matter where you sit, you will encounter ants. |
Schuyler W. Lininger, Jr. DC
See book keywords and concepts |  Gymnema
(Gymnema sylvestre)
Common names: Gurmarbooti, gurmar Parts Used and Where Grown: Gymnema sylvestre is a woody climbing plant that grows in the tropical forests of central and southern India. The leaves are used in herbal medicine preparations. G. sylvestre is known as periploca of the woods in English and meshasringi (meaning "ram's horn") in Sanskrit. The leaves, when chewed, interfere with the ability to taste sweetness, which explains the Hindi name gurmar "destroyer of sugar."
In What Conditions Might Gymnema Be Supportive?
Ranking
Health Concerns
Secondary
Diabetes (p. |
Christian Ratsch
See book keywords and concepts |  Distribution
The tree occurs in the tropical forests of Nigeria and Cameroon and in the Congo (Hutchinson and Dalziel 1963,112).
Cultivation
The plant can be propagated either from seeds or from cuttings. Details, however, are lacking.
Appearance
This evergreen tree, which can grow to a height of 30 meters, somewhat resembles an oak. It has oval, attenuated leaves (7 to 13 cm long) and bushy inflorescences and produces winged seeds. The light or gray-brown bark is 4 to 8 mm thick with both longitudinal and transverse fissures and is usually heavily overgrown with lichens. |
Andrew Chevallier
See book keywords and concepts | | Habitat & Cultivation Native to tropical forests in the Americas and the West Indies, annatto is widely cultivated in similar climatic zones, notably in India. Seeds are collected as the fruit splits open. Parts Used Seeds, leaves, root. Constituents The seed pulp contains carotenoid coloring principles. History & Folklore In tropical South America, the brilliant red pigment in the seed pulp has traditionally been used in body painting. Annatto dye is also used as a colorant for margarine and cheese. | | Habitat & Cultivation Native to India, southern Asia, and Africa, salpan is found as undergrowth in tropical forests. Part Used Root.
Constituents Salpan contains a volatile oil and an alkaloid.
Medicinal Actions & Uses Salpan root is bitter and tonic, and is used in Ayurveda to improve poor appetite and digestion, and to treat dysentery and hemorrhoids. The plant is also given for feverish and congestive conditions such as bronchitis and asthma. Related Species D. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts |  Gymnema sylvestre
Gymnema sylvestre, a plant native to the tropical forests of India, has long been used as a treatment for diabetes. Recent scientific investigation has upheld its effectiveness in both Type I and Type II diabetes.969'
Gymnema sylvestre appeared on the U.S. market a few years ago, hyped as a "sugar blocker." Manufacturers erroneously claimed that Gymnema could allow sugar to pass through the gastrointestinal tract unab-sorbed. Ridiculous advertisements contained phrases such as "how to cut down on sugar calories without cutting down on sugar. |
Nelson Foster and Linda S. Cordell
See book keywords and concepts |  Meanwhile, the tropical forests of southeastern Mexico have largely been destroyed, and most of the land where vanilla once grew wild is now used to pasture cattle or for citrus production. Vanilla is still raised in the area, however, and Totonac culture is still structured around its growing evele, with a traditional harvest festival held in late January of each year. But the Totonacs have been reduced to plantation hands, and despite their vast knowledge of both the territory and the needs of vanilla, they are struggling to keep their ancestral crop growing in a vastly altered environment. |
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