Can chimpanzees lead humans to new medicines?

Wild chimpanzees are making waves in the scientific community for their utilisation of plants with pain-relieving and antibacterial qualities. Scientists went into Ugandan forests to investigate these amazing behaviours, revealing the monkeys’ potential to help the human race in the search for new medicines.

The study, which was published in the journal PLOS One, provides new insights into the methods our closest relatives use to repair themselves as well as new directions for the hunt for natural remedies.

Nature’s detectives: Observing the chimps

Researchers embarked on a meticulous investigation in Uganda’s Budongo Central Forest Reserve. Their mission? To observe injured or sick chimpanzees and determine if they were self-medicating with specific plants.

The study’s lead researcher from the University of Oxford, Dr. Elodie Freymann, told the BBC that although the team is unable to test plants in the forest for their medicinal properties, “why not test the plants that we have this information about – plants the chimps are seeking out?”

Collecting clues from the chimpanzee’s behaviour

Dr. Freymann and her team have been tracking two communities of wild chimpanzees for extended periods of time over the last four years. In addition to gathering samples of urine and faeces to test for disease and infection, they searched for indications of pain, such as limping or strange body positions.

A chimpanzee that was sick or injured required special attention while it searched for an uncommon food source, such as fruit skins or tree bark. “We were looking for these behavioural clues that the plants might be medicinal,” Dr. Freymann said.

Case study: The limping chimp

Dr. Freymann also recounted observing a male chimp with a badly wounded hand. She recalled that the chimp was limping and avoiding using his hand to walk, while the rest of his group was eating, the injured chimp hobbled away in search of ferns. The scientist not that he was the only one to “seek out and eat these ferns.”

The fern, which the researchers identified as Christella parasitica, was harvested and they discovered that it possessed strong anti-inflammatory qualities. This was a major advancement in our knowledge of chimpanzee self-medication behaviours.

Analysing the medicinal plants

The scientists gathered a total of 17 samples from 13 distinct plant types. Dr. Fabien Schultz of the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany received these samples to test. According to the report, the outcomes were striking: a third of the extracts naturally reduced inflammation, and over 90% of them prevented the growth of bacteria.

All the injured and ill chimps reported in this study fully recovered. “The one who ate ferns was using his hand again within the next few days,” Dr. Freymann noted.

Implications for human medicine

While it’s impossible to prove definitively that the chimps’ recovery was solely due to their diet, the findings underscore the potential medicinal knowledge that can be gained from observing wildlife.

But Dr. Freymann emphasised that it “underscores the urgent need to preserve these ‘forest pharmacies’ for future generations” and draws attention to the fact that medical information can be obtained from monitoring other animals in the nature.