By Stephen Beech via SWNS
Wild chimps eat medicinal plants to treat illness and injuries, reveals new research.
Sick chimpanzees consume tree bark, dead wood and ferns with antibiotic and anti-inflammatory effects, say scientists.
Many plants produce compounds that have medicinal effects on humans and other species.
Wild chimps eat a range of plant matter, including some that is nutritionally poor but may treat or lessen the symptoms of illness.
But it is hard to determine whether chimps self-medicate by intentionally seeking out plants with properties that help their specific ailments, or passively consume plants that happen to be medicinal.
An international research team led by Oxford University scientists combined behavioral observations of wild chimpanzees with pharmacological testing of the potentially medicinal plants they eat for the new study published in the journal PLOS One.
They monitored the habits and health of 51 chimps from two habituated communities in the Budongo Central Forest Reserve, Uganda.
The team collected plant extracts from 13 species of trees and herbs in the reserve that they suspected the chimps may be using to self-medicate.
They tested the plants for anti-inflammatory and antibiotic properties, including plants that they observed sick or injured chimps eating, but were not part of their normal diet.
Plants that previous research has suggested chimps might consume for medicinal properties were also tested.
The researchers found that 88% of the plant extracts inhibited bacterial growth, while 33% had anti-inflammatory properties.
Study lead author Dr. Elodie Freymann, of Oxford University, said: “Dead wood from a tree in the Dogbane family, Alstonia boonei, showed the strongest antibacterial activity and also had anti-inflammatory properties, suggesting that it could be used to treat wounds.
“Bark and resin from the East African mahogany tree (Khaya anthotheca) and leaves from a fern (Christella parasitica) exhibited potent anti-inflammatory effects.”
The research team observed a male chimp with an injured hand seek out and eat leaves of the fern, which may have helped to reduce pain and swelling.
They also recorded an individual with a parasitic infection eating bark of the cat-thorn tree.
Dr. Freymann said: “The results suggest that chimpanzees seek out specific plants for their medicinal effects.
“The study is one of the first to provide both behavioral and pharmacological evidence of the medicinal benefits to wild chimpanzees of feeding on bark and dead wood.”
She said the findings also suggest that medicinal plants growing in Budongo Central Forest Reserve could also be helpful for the development of new drugs to address the challenges of antibiotic resistant bacteria and chronic inflammatory diseases.
Dr. Freymann added: “In this paper, we demonstrate how watching and learning from our primate cousins may fast-track the discovery of novel medicines, while also emphasizing. the importance of protecting our forest pharmacies.”
The findings follows a study published last month showing an ape treating a wound using a medicinal plant for the first time.
In a world first, the male Sumatran orangutan known as Rakus was observed applying chewed leaves from Akar Kuning – a climbing plant used in traditional medicine – to a wound on his cheek.
The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, were the first report of wound treatment by a wild animal using a plant with known medicinal properties.
