Animals that self-medicate

If you had to decide, offhand, who the most intelligent species on earth was, who would you choose? Perhaps, after this article, you will have changed your mind.

I am going to tell you a story – this story is called Zoopharmacognosy. The word ‘Zoopharmacognosy’is a word derived from Zoo (animal), pharma (drug) and cognosy (knowing). In short – this story is about animals knowing how to heal themselves.

Here are some examples:

Chimpanzees

Jane Goodall recorded how chimps self-medicated. They often ate certain plants that forced them to vomit. They also swallowed, whole, the leaves of Aneilema aequinoctiale, an antiparasitic plant.

Butterflies

Monarch butterflies lay their eggs on Milkweed plants. But, when they are infected by parasites, they choose a different variety of Milkweed, one with far higher levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids. When the time comes for the larvae to hatch, they ingest this Milkweed, which decreases their parasite infestation.

Interestingly, unparasitised larvae ingesting this plant, are more likely to die. The Monarch mom must get it right, or her babies die. And, unsurprisingly, she does get it right.

Giraffes

Giraffes (and several other animals) with upset stomachs eat large quantities of termite mound soil. This particular soil has a high clay content. Clay is an effective binding agent and detoxifier, meaning it absorbs and deactivates toxins from bacteria. It also contains the mineral kaolin, which is used in many human treatments for diarrhoea.

Baboons

Euphorbiaceae plants are not part of the normal diet for Chacma baboons. But, occasionally, and only in very tiny amounts, these baboons will eat the leaves. Scientists think the reason for this is the stimulatory properties that these plants have. But, the interesting thing is, they don’t overdose, they know the correct dose.

Starlings

European Starlings, when they are suffering from feather parasites, collect and crush ants. Then they vigorously rub the dead ants into the plumage. Crushing ants in this way causes the release of formic acid (a strong insecticide and bacteriocide) and benzoquinones (insect repellents).

There are many other examples. And I am sure you have observed some self-medication in your own pets. The important thing is – animals know what herbs to use, they know what doses to take and can sometimes even protect their offspring in advance of their birth.

How did we humans forget this?

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