Medicinal drugs now used in the developed world come from only about 95 of the 250,000 known species of flowering plants on earth. For thousands of years, medicine and plants were synonymous. Willow bark was the original source of aspirin. The ergot fungus is the base for many important drugs that fight migraines. Digitalis is used in heart patients. The list goes on. Earlier this century, the medical industry strayed from finding medicines in plants.

With moves away from antibiotics, compnaies are againing turning to plants for medicinal drugs. It is estimated that at least 300 useful drugs are still undiscovered in the tropical rainforests of South America, at a potential profit of $94 million.

Because many marine species defend themselves chemically, marine biochemical diversity is an exciting source of new medicines too.