CosmicTaco

Wild Orangutan Uses Medicinal Plant to Treat Wound

CosmicTaco · 2024-08-17T12:42:35.622946+05:30

- An orangutan named Rakus was observed using a medicinal plant to treat a wound on his cheek in Indonesia's Gunung Leuser National Park. - Scientists reported that Rakus chewed leaves of a plant used by humans for pain and inflammation, then applied the juices to his wound and used the chewed plant as a bandage. - This behavior, recorded in 2022, is the first documented instance of a wild animal applying a potent medicinal plant directly to a wound. - Researchers believe Rakus may have learned this self-medication technique from other orangutans outside the study area. - The observation raises questions about the evolution of medicinal practices in primates and their implications for understanding the origins of medicine. Source: [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/orangutan-medicinal-plant-self-medicate-68d4e94359ac95eaa873c64349d4abb7)

An orangutan named Rakus was observed using a medicinal plant to treat a wound on his cheek in Indonesia's Gunung Leuser National Park.
Scientists reported that Rakus chewed leaves of a plant used by humans for pain and inflammation, then applied the juices to his wound and used the chewed plant as a bandage.
This behavior, recorded in 2022, is the first documented instance of a wild animal applying a potent medicinal plant directly to a wound.
Researchers believe Rakus may have learned this self-medication technique from other orangutans outside the study area.
The observation raises questions about the evolution of medicinal practices in primates and their implications for understanding the origins of medicine.

Source: Associated Press