Orangutans Use Local Plant to Treat Pain
Orangutans are extremely intelligent organisms,
with almost 97 percent of genetic material the same as humans. A study
conducted by Helen Morrogh-Bernard of the Borneo Nature Foundation has spent
more than 20,000 hours with her colleagues observing the behaviors of ten
orangutans. Their findings indicate that humans are not the only animals that
have discovered medicinal products in nature.
Over the course of observation they occasionally
witnessed orangutans chew Dracaena cantleyi, a local plant, spit it out,
and massage it into their fur. This particular plant is not a part of their
diet, which led them to believe it was a method of applying topical medicine.
These findings are the first known example of a nonhuman animal using a topical
analgesic, or a substance applied to the surface of the skin to numb a
particular area of pain or injury.
To support the findings further, tests were done
to see what the plant does on a cellular level. Extracts of the plant were
added to human cells that were grown in a dish and had been artificially
stimulated to produce cytokines, cells that cause inflammation and discomfort.
The tests proved that extracts from the leaf inhibit the production of these
inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that orangutans use this plant to reduce
inflammation and treat pain.
The cool thing about this is that humans can
benefit from the use of different plants by Orangutans and other similar
species. Findings like these can be useful in identifying plants and chemicals
that could be useful for human medications.
Link: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/orangutans-use-plant-extracts-to-treat-pain1/
Posted by Hannah Kullberg (2)
It is quite humbling hearing of animals that are smarter than humans anticipated. I love hearing stories like this becasue it truly reminds me of the phenomenon of natural selection and evolution. Of course humans are not some anomaly created independently of other, we share characteristics with creatures from almost all phyla.
ReplyDelete-Brooke Sullivan (3)
There definitely are a lot of animals that are smarter than we think they are!
Delete-- Hannah Kullberg (2)
That's very cool that orangutans were able to utilize their environment like that. It's one thing to find the plant, but another to think to chew it before applying it to their skin. Animals are definitely smarter than most people believe. I wonder if another species were to observe the orangutans doing this, that they would be able to adopt this solution for pain.
ReplyDelete- Angelina Weng (3)
That is an interesting idea. I also wonder how they first figured it out.
Delete-- Hannah Kullberg (2)
This is so cool to think about seeing as though Orangutans can find new medicines and chemicals for us to use for different pain. It is almost as though these animals know more about how to recognize compounds for pain relief than we do!
ReplyDeletePosted by Sarah Aboody (1)
I agree. It's amazing too how seeing them discovering these natural remedies can help us humans out sometimes too.
Delete-- Hannah Kullberg (2)
Animals using medicines in nature! That is crazy! Do any other species demonstrate the capability of utilizing plants for uses other than eating, or is this the only one? I think it is interesting that the orangutan is not even our closest relative and yet still shows this behavior. I wonder why this specific animal is capable of using plants for health while others are not.
ReplyDeleteHarris Jackson (3)
I did some research on this - among many examples of insects that use medicine to treat wounds and illnesses, the woolly bear caterpillar ingests plants that are toxic to parasites. I also know that Chimpanzees, bonobos, and gorillas have all figured out that swallowing rough leaves can purge their intestines of parasites.
Delete-- Hannah Kullberg (2)
This was certainly interesting to read about. I wonder how these findings can attribute to pain regulation in other animals.
ReplyDelete-Sunaina Sharma (3)
There are examples of other species doing this as well, including many insects. It is cool to think that species other than humans are using natural remedies from plants.
Delete-- Hannah Kullberg (2)
This is such a fascinating finding. We really do underestimate the animals around us sometimes. I wonder if there are any other medications that these orangutans use that we do not know about yet. It really makes you think about just how much we can learn from these creatures!
ReplyDelete-Nicole Ayres (1)
I agree it is really interesting. And it is so cool that findings like these can help humans too!
Delete-- Hannah Kullberg (2)