A research team comprising researchers from Oxford University and Europe, Japan, Uganda has found that chimpanzees use more medicinal plants than other animals. According to the study published in the journal PLOL One, 17 samples from 13 plant species were taken which were used by chimpanzees.
In fact, for this research, 4 months were spent in Uganda’s Budongo forest to observe 2 chimpanzee communities. During this time, out of 170 chimpanzees from both communities, the researchers found 51 chimpanzees suffering from bacterial infection and inflammation.
During the research, they were identified by abnormal urine composition, diarrhea, parasite marks or wounds. The researchers monitored these sick chimpanzees for 10 hours a day and observed which plants they ate and when.
The research observed that a chimpanzee suffering from diarrhea was eating the dry wood of Alstonia boonei. This is actually a plant of the dogbane family. The researchers found that chimpanzees rarely eat dead and dry wood due to lack of nutrition.
Additionally, chimpanzees were observed eating leaves of the Christella parasitica plant to treat wounds on their hands. The researchers tested all the plants eaten by the sick chimpanzees for antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Researchers found that a plant called Alstonia boonei has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. It is used for traditional treatment in Africa. Research has shown that the plants used by chimpanzees are also used by local people.
Published at : 24 Jun 2024 09:56 AM (IST)
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