Periwinkle Flowers - Rosy Periwinkle - Cure From The Rain Forests

The tropical rain forests provide scientists with an enormous variety of plants. Some of these plants contain special chemicals that can be used as medicines.
Scientists in the United States have found some tropical rain forest plants that might be used to fight against cancer.
About 30 years ago, scientists who were trying to find a cure for cancer investigated a plant called the Rosy Periwinkle.
This grows in the tropical forests of Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa.
For many years, local healers had used this plant as a medicine. The scientists found that chemicals in the rosy periwinkle helped to treat cancer. It was especially useful for treating children with cancer of the blood, known as leukemia.
Treatment using the rosy periwinkle has meant that more people can now be cured of cancer.

Chemicals in the rosy periwinkle can help to treat leukemia.