A male Sumatran orangutan named Rakus, living in a protected area of the jungles of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, developed a significant weeping wound under his eye after a conflict with another male.
Biologists from the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior (Germany) and their Indonesian colleagues, observing this group of orangutans, were astonished that just three days after sustaining an injury, Rakus began the process of self-healing. He started tearing leaves from the tropical vine Fibraurea tinctoria, meticulously chewing them, and then squeezing the resulting juice onto his wound. Ultimately, Rakus completely covered the entire area of the wound with crushed leaves of this vine.
Over the next five days, the wound healed completely, remaining clean with no signs of infection, as noted by the researchers.
Fibraurea tinctoria is renowned for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties. This plant is actively used in traditional medicine in Southeast Asia to treat various ailments, including malaria.
Analysis of the chemical compounds found in the leaves of Fibraurea tinctoria revealed the presence of alkaloids with antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. This makes the plant an ideal remedy for treating wounds, as noted by the authors of the study published in Scientific Reports.
Until now, scientists have not observed that great apes intentionally use medicinal plants to treat their injuries. It is unclear whether Rakus was able to independently understand that Fibraurea tinctoria would help him, or if he learned this experience from other orangutans. It also remains a question how widespread such behavior is among these primates.
The researchers do not rule out that the ability to recognize medicinal plants and use them for treating wounds may have been inherent in our common ancestor with orangutans.
Who knows, perhaps in the future, orangutans will teach us how to effectively treat patients with monkeypox.
