By using ethnobotanical information, a higher success rate may be achieved when selecting plants as candidates for possible pharmacologic and medical studies (Balick, 1989). The results of simple field tests such as the brine shrimp bioassay can be used to support the ethnobotanical information so as to encourage further research seeking new drug prototypes among the many tropical rain forest plant species (Soejarto et al., 1991). The ethnobotanical uses and the testing described in this paper for S. straminifolium and V. surinamensis served as a good example. However, if the rain forests of the world continue to diminish at their present rate, this treasury of knowledge will soon be lost. When setting out to find prototype medicines from rain forest plants, the original inhabitants of the rain forest should always be consulted. These peoples have successfully maintained their forest home for several thousand years and possess a wealth of ethnobotanical as well as rain forest product management information (Posey and Balee, 1989).