Chimpanzees use forest medicine

Forest pharmacy for poorly primates

Video footage has emerged of chimpanzees utilising medicinal plants to tend open wounds or injuries both on themselves and to nurse fellow primates.

Concentrating on two specific chimp communities comprising 51 creatures, the study was conducted by University of Oxford researchers in conjunction with a local Ugandan team based in the Budongo Forest. The apes were recorded using various plant species in diverse ways, including dabbing the remedy on the wound itself and also chewing the plant material before applying it to the affected area.

The report's lead author, Oxford University's Dr Elodie Freyman, outlined the complexity of the research. She commented, "To study wild chimpanzee self-medication, you have to act like a detective, gathering multi-disciplinary evidence to piece together a case."

Anecdotal evidence of such plant use had existed since the 1990s, but the Oxford scientists were intent on determining whether the primates' exploitation of the plants was a conscious choice. Their investigation therefore combined behavioural observations with a pharmacological breakdown of the targeted plants.

The extracts were then sent to Neubrandenburg University in Germany for analysis. In total, 88 percent inhibited the proliferation of bacteria and 33 percent had anti-inflammatory properties. The dead wood from one tree, Alstonia boonei, had the most intense antibacterial qualities, as well as possessing anti-inflammatory properties. It suggests chimpanzees may use it intentionally to treat wounds and it's also a remedy employed by humans to treat assorted ailments in East African communities.

Other plants which the chimps consumed, such as the leaves from a specific fern, and bark from the cat-thorn tree were both found to have potent medical effects.

Researchers believe that the quest to find new cures could be assisted by developing our understanding in this area. Dr Freyman told BBC News, "The more we learn about chimpanzee behaviour and intelligence, the more I think we come to understand how little we as humans actually know about the natural world."