Wounded Orangutan seen using a Plant as Medicine for the First Time

In a first for Science and more especially Zoology an Orangutan in Indonesia has been documented applying a medicinal poultice to his face which he had made to heal a gash on his cheek believed to have been cased by a rival male.

The team then saw Rakus chewing the stem and leaves of plant called Akar Kuning - an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial plant that is also used locally to treat malaria and diabetes.

He repeatedly applied the liquid onto his cheek for seven minutes. Rakus then smeared the chewed leaves onto his wound until it was fully covered. He continued to feed on the plant for over 30 minutes.

The paste and leaves then appear to have done their magic - the researchers saw no sign of infection and the wound closed within five days.

After a month, Rakus was fully healed.
www.bbc.co.uk...

The Man of the Forrest , no doubt smarter than we are.


Majestic.

Yeah, I saw that. I thought it was cool.

Side note - when we go to the zoo, my favorite critters are the gorillas.

Fascinating.

a reply to: gortex

I read this and was amazed by the intelligence used to gather and use a 'medicine' like this. This had be a learnt and known cure by the Orangutan.

a reply to: Kurokage

The thing is .. he would have had to learn it by himself. They don't have a way of communicating to each other what plants to put on wounds. Kinda interesting ...

originally posted by: Kurokage
a reply to: gortex

I read this and was amazed by the intelligence used to gather and use a 'medicine' like this. This had be a learnt and known cure by the Orangutan.

It is possible they watched native people gather plants and do this.

Or an Orangutang that was treated and released back to the wild.

But I'd prefer the Orangutangs figured it out on their own.

My favorite primate BTW.

Wow, I just learned of a natural healing agent that grows in the wild AND exactly how to use it from an Orangutan. The world really is upside down.



That's really cool though. They are a lot more intelligent than we know. Beautiful creatures and seemingly quite sensitive.

a reply to: Annee

It's probably something he learned from his family while growing up , knowledge passed down through generations.

a reply to: Annee
Imagine if this was just instinct? And now Imagine all the wonders in nature could be tapped of their Instinctual intellect? As far as I know the only instinct we know exists in us Humans is fight or flight. Motherly instincts I feel do not count and are more superstitious.

a reply to: gortex

This shows thought.

That said it's not unheard of for animals to 'self medicate' but it could easily be reasoned that their behaviour is based on natural selection.

How many creatures use the services of others to remove parasites for instance? There's quite a few and I'm sure many of them don't have anything like language that's evolved to the levels primates are known for. Birds and whales maybe?

Fascinating stuff, we're hardly the only intelligent species

All the more reason they need to be protected and left alone.

Indonesia really needs to step up their game and protect them and their habitat better, than they do.

a reply to: gortex

Monkey Physician Heal They Self ............

a reply to: Zanti Misfit

Zaius was a doctor and of Orangutan in the simian order.

I still think the original POTA was the best, especially the makeup and wardrobe, not to mention the elaborate sets they used in production. They just don't make movies like that anymore.

Maybe the aliens are really screwing with us now, and manipulating these orangutan's DNA to make them more intelligent, using tools and now plants as medicine.

originally posted by: FlyersFan
a reply to: Kurokage

The thing is .. he would have had to learn it by himself. They don't have a way of communicating to each other what plants to put on wounds. Kinda interesting ...

Until recently, it was thought that they didn't have the understanding to appropriately apply the use of medicinal herbs, either, so there's that.

It's well possible that this was knowledge passed down, if not through verbal communication then by example. Maybe they've done this for generations and it's only the first time that a human has witnessed it.

originally posted by: CataclysmicRockets
a reply to: Annee
Imagine if this was just instinct? And now Imagine all the wonders in nature could be tapped of their Instinctual intellect? As far as I know the only instinct we know exists in us Humans is fight or flight. Motherly instincts I feel do not count and are more superstitious.

I live in a rural part of Mexico. The older folks here know all about medicinal herbs.

I was riding my mule out to a friend's ranch one day and hooked up with an older neighbour from our village on the way. As we rode along, he was pointing out every few minutes a tree or a plant whose bark, leaf, root, flower or fruit could be used for medicinal purposes.

The bark of that tree, you make a tea with it and it will cure up sour stomach.

The leaf of that plant, mash it and make a poultice and apply it to a rash and it'll clear right up.

That root of that little bush will cure your diabetes.

And these things work, they really do!

This is knowledge from generations and generations back. Sadly, it's being lost as younger generations get sucked into allopathic medicine. I've used many their suggestions and they never fail to help.

I guess these critters have learned the same way.

originally posted by: FlyersFan
a reply to: Kurokage

The thing is .. he would have had to learn it by himself. They don't have a way of communicating to each other what plants to put on wounds. Kinda interesting ...

Ever heard of the 100th monkey theorem?

Rather interesting.

Have fun looking into it.


It's a brave new world, and some souls are awakening.

Forget the woke movement...

I'm talking about a real and true awakening.

a reply to: FlyersFan

We don't know that for sure.

But pretty much monkey see monkey do would facilitate the passing of such knowledge from one animal to another.

Research is beginning to show animals may be far more self-aware and intelligent then we give them credit for.
If given human limbs and the ability to speak I wonder if octapuses, dolphins, elephants, ravens and many other species would be the dominant lifeform on earth.

ETA: I love your post like this, Gortex-and the ones on space. They're always good for a brain teaser.

a reply to: Kurokage

This is fascinating! While I believe animals to be far more intelligent than we give them credit, this blows my mind.

Then my mind hit back:

The most amazing thing about this article to me is the fact that there is a natural plant out there that can be used to heal wounds quickly, and humans take man made/altered chemicals. And still get infections anyway.

Are you sure humans are smarter than them?