The endangered tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes khasiana has evolved mechanisms to lure, capture, and digest prey animals. Under special circumstances, Nepenthes pitcher liquid will also contain potent antifungal compounds called naphthoquinones. Their purpose, it is believed, is to prevent captured prey from being consumed by fungi, a competing organism. For hundreds of years, naphthoquinones have been utilized in Asia and South America for medicinal purposes. In the United States, emerging studies are investigating how these compounds can be produced, as well as their efficacy against opportunistic human fungal pathogens. The importance of this research is underscored by the limited variety of antifungal drugs that are commercially available, as well as their susceptibility to pathogenic resistance and crosstolerance.