Chimpanzees seek out medicinal plants to treat injuries and illnesses, study finds [Video]

London — Chimpanzees in the wild use medicinal plants to treat their injuries or illnesses, according to a study from the University of Oxford that researchers say is the most in-depth analysis to date.

Scientists monitored 51 chimpanzees from two communities in Uganda’s Budongo Central Forest Reserve to see how they behaved when they were healthy and when they were not. The chimpanzee groups were already used to the presence of humans.

• In a first, an orangutan is seen using a medicinal plant to treat injury

The scientists observed sick or injured animals eating certain plant items that were not part of their normal diet. They collected samples of those plants to test for pharmacological properties.

Analysts at the Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany examined the samples and found that 88% of them inhibited bacterial growth and 33% had anti-inflammatory properties.