Carol Maxwell writes a newspaper co

Carol Maxwell writes a newspaper column on health. Recently, she took a trip to Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica.

Rodrigo Bonilla turns off the motor of the boat. We get off the boat and follow him along the path into the rain forest. Above us, a monkey with a baby hangs from a tree.

On this January day, Rodrigo is not looking for wild animals, but for medicinal plants—plants that can cure or treat illnesses. Medicinal plants grow in rain forests around the world.

Rodrigo is Costa Rican. He learned about jungle medicine from his grandmother. He shows us many different plants, such as the broom tree. He tells us that parts of the broom tree can help stop bleeding.

People have always used natural products as medicine. In fact, about 50 percent of Western medicines, such as aspirin, come from natural sources. And some animals eat certain kinds of plants when they are sick.

This is why medical researchers are so interested in plants. Many companies are now working with local governments and searching the rain forests for medicinal plants.

So far, the search has not produced any new medicines. But it’s a good idea to keep looking. That’s why we are now here in the Costa Rican rain forest.