[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 48 (Wednesday, March 15, 1995)]
[House]
[Pages H3158-H3159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE IMPORTANCE OF BIODIVERSITY

  (Mr. GILCHREST asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, as we take up the debate over the 
reauthorization of the Environmental Protection Act, we hear claims 
there is no need to preserve less well-known, often unglamorous 
species. It is easy to call for preservation of charismatic species 
like the bald eagle, the grizzly bear, and the sea turtle.
  Some of today's most important medicines, as well as the keys to 
future medical crises, come from a wide range of animals, plants, 
molds, invertebrates, and other obscure wild species. In fact, more 
than 40 percent of the prescriptions sold in the United States today 
are derived from these organisms.
  [[Page H3159]] For instance, one of our most effective treatments for 
heart and circulatory disease was derived originally from chemicals 
produced by the purple foxglove. In 1991, more than 923,000 Americans 
died of heart disease or stroke. That statistic would be higher if it 
were not for the purple foxglove, the plant which produces digitalis, a 
drug that is taken by 3 million Americans annually to combat high blood 
pressure. Digitalis is frequently used to improve circulation in 
patients with congestive heart failure.
  Only 5 percent of known plant species have been screened for their 
medical purposes. Let us continue to look for more.


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