An international team of biologists from Germany and Indonesia discovered that monkeys can heal themselves with medicinal plants. Until recently, scientists were unaware of this behavior in primates. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Scientific Reports (SciRep).
The team observed that a male Sumatran orangutan named Rakus suffered facial injuries during a fight with another animal. Rakus was chewing on a native vine called Fibraurea tinctoria, known in folk medicine for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. The primate also applied its juice to the wound and made compresses from chewed leaves to the wound area.
Rakus was treated this way for several days. After five days, the wound was completely healed.
According to scientists, the vines of Fibraurea tinctoria and related species contain furanoditerpenoids and protoberberine alkaloids that have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antioxidant and other biological activities related to wound healing. However, orangutans and other monkeys do not generally eat these plants in the wild.
Self-medication with plants is common among animals, but almost always this results in the consumption of certain types of plants. In a new study, scientists have confirmed for the first time that monkeys can self-medicate using medicinal plants.
According to the authors of the scientific study, this discovery may indicate that the common ancestor of humans and monkeys had the ability to use medicinal plants.
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Source: Gazeta
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