Chimpanzees cure their own wounds and aid their friends by using medicinal herbs found in woodlands.

In Uganda’s Budongo Forest, chimpanzees are doing more than just surviving. They’re treating their wounds with plants, cleaning each other’s injuries, and pulling snares off their companions’ limbs. These behaviors, documented in a new study, hint at something profound. Perhaps the roots of human medicine run deeper than we thought.

The lead author of the study, Elodie Freymann, a researcher at the University of Oxford, thinks these results provide a new insight into how our ancestors might have initially learnt to treat wounds. Animals are supporting one another. They are able to recognise people who are in need and then take care of those particular requirements, according to Freymann.

How chimps handle injuries

Researchers observed the Sonso and Waibira chimpanzee populations in Budongo for eight months. From bites and scrapes to lethal human snares, injuries were frequent. Almost 40% of the chimps in Sonso alone had scars from snares. During the study period, Freymann and her team saw five injuries in Waibira and twelve in Sonso. The wounded chimpanzees were taking care of more than just their own injuries. Additionally, they were

KT, a male chimpanzee, succeeded in removing a nylon snare from his wrist. A female chimpanzee was attacked, and HW, another chimpanzee, licked her wound. In a another instance, a young girl kissed her fingers and applied them to her mother's wounds after chewing leaves. Relatives weren't the only ones exhibiting this behaviour. Chimpanzees assisted strangers in four cases.

Chimpanzees can identify therapeutic plants

When they are injured, chimpanzees do not simply pick up any leaf. They appear to know which plants aid in the healing of wounds. Several plant species used for wound treatment were documented by Freymann's team. For instance, Acalypha sp. is well-known for its antibacterial qualities. Pseudospondias microcarpa is known for its ability to reduce inflammation and ease pain.

After chewing Acalypha leaves, one chimp applied the pulp to a wound. Another utilised the leaves of Lasiodiscus pervillei to remove blood and grime. Argomuellera macrophylla stem bark was even mashed by a young man named KO and applied to a leg wound.

The behaviour was similar to traditional African medicine, which uses these plants to treat everything from stomach problems to skin infections. According to Freymann, "it's likely that our shared common ancestor also would have been capable of these care behaviours as well." Chimpanzees may have taught early humans how to heal wounds if they are aware of which plants do so.

The social aspect of care

Helping others, or prosocial care, is uncommon in non-human animals. But the chimps of Budongo are doing it. Seven instances of one chimp assisting another were recorded by researchers during the study. The injured chimp and the carer were unrelated in three of these cases.

After a female chimp was attacked by other chimps, a male chimp named ZG licked the blood from her wound. In another instance, a young girl named NT observed her mother chewing leaves and applying them to an injury. NT then followed suit, copying her mother's method.

According to Freymann, this shows that chimpanzees are actively learning rather than merely imitating. According to Freymann, "our research helps illuminate the evolutionary roots of human medicine and healthcare systems."

"We gain insight into the cognitive and social underpinnings of human healthcare behaviours by documenting how chimpanzees recognise and use medicinal plants and care for others."

Risks to the health of chimpanzees

Human snares are a continual hazard to Budongo chimpanzees. These traps have left scars on about 40% of Sonso chimps. Freymann's team saw several instances of snare removal, some including group assistance and others being self-directed. However, the threat still exists.

The results also imply that similar care behaviours may be shared by chimpanzees in Budongo, Gabon, and other areas. This could indicate that these behaviours are common rather than unique. However, there is still a lot to discover.

According to Freymann, the consequences go beyond how chimpanzees use plants. Seeing how these monkeys use plants to heal could lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic substances.

"If it's done ethically and responsibly, observing and learning from the animals is an incredibly effective way to hone in on these amazing medicinal resources," she stated.

Humans, chimpanzees, and plant medicine

Our understanding of the beginnings of human medicine and the application of therapeutic plants is called into question by Freymann's research. It's simple to imagine early humans chewing leaves and applying them to wounds after seeing chimpanzees do the same. Perhaps they picked up tips from the chimpanzees. Perhaps they worked it out together.

Budongo's chimpanzees are healers rather than physicians. Additionally, we may see remnants of our own antiquated medical customs in their behaviour. Freymann's research serves as a reminder that holistic medicine may be a common heritage, inherited from forebears who roamed the woods long before us.