For centuries, explorers and treasure hunters have been drawn to the world’s rainforests in search of wealth and fame. The allure of the rainforest’s secrets has pulled thousands into the jungle to try to break the code of its many marvels and unravel its mysteries. Lost cities of gold, advanced civilizations that have disappeared, diamonds and mineral mining have been historic drivers of this interest. More recently, the demand for lumber, cattle ranching, oil exploration and soybean farming have placed unprecedented pressures on an already diminishing rainforest. These threats beg the query, can our rainforests survive another generation? Will tropical ecosystems pass a tipping point and not be able to regenerate? The real question is, what is the truest value of the rainforest to our species, and how do we realize this value in a sustainable way?
The Amazon rainforest, in particular, is our planet’s greatest natural resource. We may have lost half of our planet’s rainforests in the last 100 years. Another alarming statistic is that of an estimated 4 million indigenous Amazon rainforest people living in 1900, only 200,000 remain. Only 2 percent of the Earth’s surface remains rainforest, yet 50 percent of all plant and animal species are represented there. It is home to more plant and animal species than any other ecosystem on Earth. It produces almost a third of our oxygen and is the largest climate stabilizer. Healthy rainforests absorb carbon emissions from the atmosphere. Cutting down and burning rainforests release the stored carbon back into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
There are so many medicinal and therapeutic plants in the Amazon that it is called the “natural pharmacy to the world.” The research of Dr. James Duke has linked thousands of beneficial compounds naturally occurring in rainforest plants to potential benefits for the most common diseases in the developed world. Seventy percent of all plants that have anti-cancer activity come from the rainforest, yet only a tiny 3 percent have been scientifically studied for their therapeutic benefits. Not only is the rainforest full of unique chemical and nutritional compounds, there is an innate plant intelligence that resonates through the composite of the rainforest.
We are grateful for these rainforest plants as they have substantially improved our health in times of crisis, and we use them daily as part of our health regimen. In the last 20 years that we have been going to the rainforest, we have seen dramatic changes both good and bad. We are optimistic about the future because more and more conscious people are realizing that tropical rainforests are more valuable alive than dead.
It is not just a novel idea to have a responsible attitude about the preservation of our rainforest. The fact is the very survival of our species is dependent on a healthy rainforest, and we are all decision makers in our future. Every day we vote with our money and our actions. It is simple environmental economics. For most of us, it is easy to see the global value of the rainforest. However, when we acknowledge the personal value we get from the rainforest, like oxygen, we realize we each have a personal relationship with the rainforest. It’s when we make that connection that we begin to make the personal everyday choices that ensure we have access to that value. We appreciate the extraordinary inventory of new therapeutic and medicinal plants that may hold the key to reversing all degenerative disease as we know it. In the PBS documentary Return to the Amazon, Jean-Michel Cousteau’s words, “We protect what we value,” continue to ring true.
Recognize the value of our living rainforest. We are the guardians. Ultimately our individual choices taken as a collective will determine its future. The real beauty of Kim Henderson’s book is that it is so simple. Following the practical tips and guidelines on these pages can help turn the tide toward a bright future for our rainforests and ourselves.
Be conscious, be healthy, and thanks for being a part of the solution.
“Amazon John” Easterling,
Treasure Hunter and Founder of the Amazon Herb Company
Olivia Newton-John Easterling, First United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for the Environment
“AMAZON JOHN” EASTERLING
Successful eco-entrepreneur and visionary leader, John Easterling founded the Amazon Herb Company (AHC) in 1990 and serves on the board of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER). AHC has been recognized for working hands on at the village level with the indigenous people of the Amazon and for its contributions to rainforest preservation. Amazon John’s 30 years of rainforest experience has been profiled on television and radio including Good Morning America and Fox & Friends. He has been featured in two PBS documentaries, World News Report "Amazon John and Rainforest Medicines” and Jean Michel Cousteau’s “Return to the Amazon.”
OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN EASTERLING
Olivia Newton-John Easterling continues to be a vibrant, creative individual adored by fans across the world. Throughout her four-decade career as a recording artist, she has held many humanitarian causes close to her heart. Olivia served as the first Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, and in 1991, the Children’s Health Environmental Coalition was founded, with Olivia serving as national spokesperson for 10 years. Her personal triumph over cancer led her to announce her partnership with Austin Health and the creation of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre. In 2008, Olivia married John Easterling, and together they are promoting the importance of preserving the rainforest and the health values found in the botanicals of the Amazon while both serving as ACEER board members.