Many of these species are undiscovered, and are gone forever. .
Plant species play a crucial role in sustaining human and animal life. Plants are used for medical, agricultural, and industrial uses. Medically, plants have been helping humans for thousands of years. There are over 1,600 species of plants that have medical uses for natives of the Colombian Amazon, and scientists have explored few. Many tropical fruits, like the papaya, which is used to dissolve excess protein and mucus, and the pineapple, which contains the drug Bromelain that controls tissue inflammation, are used frequently in medicine. Many common plants are frequently used, such as mint, which contains menthol and is used as a Rubefacient, and thyme that cures fungal infections. The general antibiotic penicillin is from the Penicillium fungi, and is used around the world. Anti- cancer agents are also frequently found in plants. The Parkinson's disease suppressant L-Dopa is found in the Velvet Bean. The Rosy Periwinkle, which contains the drug Vinblastine, is also a frequently used as an anti- cancer. In 1987, Dr. John Burley discovered Calophyllum trees on the northern side of Borneo, which provided protection against the cytopathic effects of HIV-1, and halted HIV- 1 replication. However, the tree that it was discovered at had been cut down already, and other tested trees contained low levels of anti-AIDS activities. Millions of lives could be saved had this biodiversity been salvaged. So many species in the rainforest have yet to be discovered, and they all have potential to contain cures for cancers and diseases. .
Agriculturally, the rainforest contains thousands of species of food for humans and animals. Common foods such as rice, pineapples, sugar, nutmeg, sweet potatoes, coffee, and many more come from tropical areas like Costa Rica. These are important money making exports for tropical countries. Many of the world's most important crops originated in the tropic, and also many of these tropical crops contain genes that protect other species.