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How Other Primates Self-Medicate – and What They Could Teach Us
Chimpanzees self medicate by eating rough leaves to get rid of parasites. Nigel Swales/wikimedia, CC BY-SA
By Sophia Daoudi / theconversation.com
Despite our advances in technology and medicine, we seem to be fighting a never-ending battle against a number of diseases and ailments. As viruses become more complex and bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, it seems that the lab-made drugs we have become so dependent on may no longer provide the cures we need. Perhaps this is why we are now turning to nature in the hope that there may be a remedy tucked away somewhere in a remote tropical rain forest.
It could be that our closest living relatives, non-human primates, hold some of the answers we seek. Many species including chimpanzees make use of the natural resources in their habitats to self-medicate and improve their own health. This behaviour, known as zoopharmacognosy, typically involves ingestion or topical application of plants, soils, insects or even psychoactive drugs in order to treat and prevent diseases.
One of the most well known examples are domestic dogs and cats eating grass in order to induce vomiting if they have an upset stomach or internal parasite. However, most studies of animal self-medication are in non-human primates. One of the first documented cases was in 1983, when researchers observed chimpanzees in Tanzania folding and swallowing Aspilia spp leaves without chewing them. Other scientists noted the same behaviour in chimp colonies in Uganda and Nigeria. This is quite unusual, not only because there is no nutritional benefit in swallowing these leaves whole, but also because the leaves themselves have a rough and bristly surface. So what is the purpose of doing this?
Tamarin monkeys eat large seeds to get rid of parasites. Kevin Barrett/Flickr, CC BY-SA
It was only as recently as 1996 that scientists suggested it was a form of self-medication, as research began to link it with faeces full of undigested leaves and expelled parasitic worms. It seemed the chimpanzees were swallowing the leaves to take advantage of their rough and bristly surface to hook onto the worms as they passed through their digestive system, purging their intestines of parasitic worms. The tamarin monkeys of South America, however, have found a different method to remove internal parasites. They are able to swallow large seeds of up to 1.5cm, which then pass through their digestive tract dislodging or expelling internal parasites.
Philosophers stone – selected views from the boat http://philosophers-stone.co.uk
Source: http://www.phoenixisrisen.co.uk/?p=10607
