Biologists Observe Orangutan Using Healing Plants to Treat Wound, Hinting at Animal Self-Medication

In a recent study published in Scientific Reports, researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany and Universitas Nasional in Indonesia documented a male Sumatran orangutan exhibiting a remarkable behavior: using healing plants to treat a facial wound (via Max Planck Society).

This finding provides insights into animal self-medication and hints at a potential shared trait between humans and our primate relatives.

Sumatran Orangutan Uses Medicinal Plants to Treat Wound

The observation occurred at the Suaq Balimbing research site in Indonesia, a protected rainforest home to approximately 150 critically endangered Sumatran orangutans.

Lead researcher Isabelle Laumer explains, "During daily observations of the orangutans, we noticed that a male named Rakus had sustained a facial wound, most likely during a fight with a neighboring male."

Three days after the injury, Rakus performed a series of deliberate actions: selectively ripping leaves from a liana known as Akar Kuning, chewing on them, and then applying the resulting juice onto the wound. Finally, he covered the wound with the chewed leaves.

This behavior is important because it could potentially have implications for the evolutionary origins of wound medication. Caroline Schuppli, senior author of the study, suggests, "The behavior of Rakus appeared to be intentional...The entire process took a considerable amount of time."

This intentional behavior raises questions about the extent to which animals, particularly great apes like orangutans, possess an understanding of their health and how they utilize natural resources to aid in their healing.

The plant species involved, Akar Kuning, is known for its medicinal properties in traditional medicine. Laumer elaborates, "These lianas are known for their analgesic and antipyretic effects...Analyses of plant chemical compounds show the presence of furanoditerpenoids and protoberberine alkaloids, known to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties."

This suggests that Rakus's plant choice may have been driven by an innate understanding of its therapeutic benefits.

Animals' Instinct for Self-Medication

Observing Rakus's behavior adds to a growing body of evidence on animal self-medication. As highlighted in a PNAS report, various animals exhibit self-medication behaviors, such as ingesting plants or using them in unusual ways for therapeutic purposes.

This survival trait, known as zoopharmacognosy, is observed across different species, including birds, bees, lizards, elephants, and chimpanzees. The science of animal self-medication suggests that animals may have evolved an innate ability to detect the therapeutic constituents in plants.

The study's findings contribute to our understanding of animal behavior and have potential implications for human medicine. Schuppli notes, "As forms of active wound treatment are not just human, but can also be found in both African and Asian great apes; it is possible that there exists a common underlying mechanism for the recognition and application of substances with medical or functional properties to wounds."

This suggests that studying animal self-medication could offer insights into developing novel human wound care treatments.

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