New Delhi: A new study has revealed the first case of a wild animal treating its wound with medicinal plants.
At the Suak Balimbing research site in Indonesia, researchers observed that a male Sumatran orangutan repeatedly chewed and applied juice from a climbing plantain to a wound on his cheek.
"During daily observations of the orangutans, we noticed that one male, named Raku, had a wound on his face, possibly from a fight with a neighboring male," said Isabelle Laummer of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB), Germany. during." ,
The research site is a protected rainforest area that is home to approximately 15 critically endangered Sumatran orangutans. The team included researchers from Universitas Nasional, Indonesia.Three days after the injury, Rakas picked and plucked leaves of the vine with the common name akar kuning (Fibrouria tinctoria), chewed them, and repeatedly applied the resulting juice to the facial wound for several minutes, the researchers reported.
As a last step, he said, he completely covered the wound with chewed leaves.
The plant and related liana species, found in the Tropica forests of Southeast Asia, are known for their pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory and other properties important for wound healing, Laumer said.
Laumer, first author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, said the plants are used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases such as malaria, dysentery and diabetes.
The researchers observed no signs of wound infection in the days following the injury.He also observed that the wound closed within five days and was completely healed within a month.
"Interestingly, raccoons also rested more than usual when injured. Sleep has a positive effect on wound healing because growth hormone release, protein synthesis and cell division are increased during sleep," Laumer said.
He spoke of the "deliberate" nature of Rakas's behavior, as he "selectively treated his facial wound" and did not treat any other part of the body.
"This behavior was repeated several times, not only with plant sap but later with more solid plant material until the wound was completely covered," Laumer said.The whole process took a lot of time."
The researchers said that while many wild primate species have previously been observed chewing or rubbing plants with medicinal properties, this is the first time they have applied them to recent wounds.
Thus, he said, healing wound healing may have originated in the common ancestor of humans and orangutans.
"Since forms of active wound healing are not only human universal, but can also be found in both African and Asian great apes, it is possible that a common underlying mechanism exists for the recognition and application of a substance with healing or functional properties on wounds. yes.and that our last Kamo ancestor already showed similar forms of maraging behavior," the authors wrote.
At the Suak Balimbing research site in Indonesia, researchers observed that a male Sumatran orangutan repeatedly chewed and applied juice from a climbing plantain to a wound on his cheek.
"During daily observations of the orangutans, we noticed that one male, named Raku, had a wound on his face, possibly from a fight with a neighboring male," said Isabelle Laummer of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (MPI-AB), Germany. during." ,
The research site is a protected rainforest area that is home to approximately 15 critically endangered Sumatran orangutans. The team included researchers from Universitas Nasional, Indonesia.Three days after the injury, Rakas picked and plucked leaves of the vine with the common name akar kuning (Fibrouria tinctoria), chewed them, and repeatedly applied the resulting juice to the facial wound for several minutes, the researchers reported.
As a last step, he said, he completely covered the wound with chewed leaves.
The plant and related liana species, found in the Tropica forests of Southeast Asia, are known for their pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory and other properties important for wound healing, Laumer said.
Laumer, first author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports, said the plants are used in traditional medicine to treat various diseases such as malaria, dysentery and diabetes.
The researchers observed no signs of wound infection in the days following the injury.He also observed that the wound closed within five days and was completely healed within a month.
"Interestingly, raccoons also rested more than usual when injured. Sleep has a positive effect on wound healing because growth hormone release, protein synthesis and cell division are increased during sleep," Laumer said.
He spoke of the "deliberate" nature of Rakas's behavior, as he "selectively treated his facial wound" and did not treat any other part of the body.
"This behavior was repeated several times, not only with plant sap but later with more solid plant material until the wound was completely covered," Laumer said.The whole process took a lot of time."
The researchers said that while many wild primate species have previously been observed chewing or rubbing plants with medicinal properties, this is the first time they have applied them to recent wounds.
Thus, he said, healing wound healing may have originated in the common ancestor of humans and orangutans.
"Since forms of active wound healing are not only human universal, but can also be found in both African and Asian great apes, it is possible that a common underlying mechanism exists for the recognition and application of a substance with healing or functional properties on wounds. yes.and that our last Kamo ancestor already showed similar forms of maraging behavior," the authors wrote.
