Deep in Uganda’s Budongo Forest, a remarkable story of natural medicine is unfolding. We were delighted to welcome primatologist Elodie Freymann to the latest episode of the World Extreme Medicine Podcast, where she shared insights from her nine-month field study revealing how chimpanzees harness the healing power of plants – knowledge that could revolutionise our understanding of both animal intelligence and medicinal botany.
The Science of Animal Self-Medication
Zoopharmacognosy – the study of animal self-medication – is revealing surprising discoveries across the animal kingdom. From birds to insects, various species demonstrate sophisticated medical knowledge. However, our closest relatives, the great apes, show particularly remarkable abilities in this field.
“Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly, a lot of animals throughout the animal kingdom, from birds to chimps to insects, they’re self-medicating,” Elodie explains. Her research focuses specifically on how chimpanzees identify and use medicinal plants in their natural habitat.
Intentional Healing in the Wild
Through careful observation and data collection, Elodie documented numerous instances of chimps deliberately seeking out specific plants for medicinal purposes. One striking example involves the *Alstonia boonei* tree bark. Analysis of long-term data showed that chimps would travel significant distances to access this bark and that bark feeding on this species peaked during periods when respiratory infections were common in the community.
The bark consumption wasn’t random or driven by food scarcity – it showed clear patterns aligned with illness. Laboratory testing later confirmed the bark’s strong antibacterial properties, suggesting the chimps’ botanical knowledge was both intentional and effective.
Traditional Knowledge Meets Primate Practice
Perhaps most fascinating is the overlap between chimpanzee plant selection and traditional human medicine. During interviews with local healers, Elodie discovered that many of the plants used by chimps were also valued in traditional medicine. “The traditional healers were not surprised that the chimpanzees were using these plants,” she notes. “People living nearby knew it the whole time.”
This convergence of human and primate medical knowledge raises intriguing questions about the evolution of medicinal practices and the inherent healing properties of certain plants.
Social Healing and Cognitive Complexity
The research uncovered evidence of pro-social care – chimpanzees actively helping to treat others’ wounds. This behavior challenges conventional assumptions about animal cognitive capabilities and suggests a more sophisticated understanding of healing within chimpanzee communities.
Conservation: Protecting Nature’s Pharmacy
Beyond its scientific significance, this research highlights the critical importance of forest conservation. “If the chimps disappear, we lose our teachers. If the forests disappear, we lose our medicines,” Elodie emphasises. These natural pharmacies could hold undiscovered compounds vital for human medicine, especially as antibiotic resistance grows.
The forests aren’t just habitats – they’re living laboratories where our closest animal relatives might be showing us solutions to future medical challenges. As deforestation threatens these ecosystems, we risk losing both the knowledge and the resources they contain.
Future Implications
Elodie’s work opens new avenues for both conservation and medical research. The study of animal self-medication could lead to the discovery of new medicinal compounds, while highlighting the importance of preserving natural habitats. It also raises important questions about animal intelligence and the sophisticated ways in which other species interact with their environment.
→ Read Elodie’s full paper “The Adaptive Role of Bark in the Diet of Budongo Chimpanzees” here.
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