Orangutan Wound Treatment with Medicinal Plant Sheds Light on Evolution of Self-Medication among Great Apes

In June 2022, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Germany and Universitas Nasional in Indonesia observed a unique behavior by an orangutan male named Rakus. This behavior involved the application of a plant with medicinal properties to a wound under his eye. This behavior was unprecedented in wild animals and raises questions about its intentionality and evolutionary origins.

Rakus applied the sap of the climbing plant Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria) to his wound, covering it with chewed leaves. Akar Kuning is known for its analgesic and antipyretic effects and is traditionally used to treat wounds, dysentery, diabetes, and malaria. Researchers noted that Rakus selectively treated his wound with the plant’s juice, suggesting that medical treatment of wounds may have originated from a shared common ancestor of humans and orangutans.

While wild primate species have been observed using plants with medicinal properties, it was the first time that a great ape species was seen applying them to fresh wounds. Rakus’ wound healed in five days and was completely cured within a month due to the application of the plant’s juices. This behavior raises questions about the intentionality of such actions in non-human animals and how they develop.

The potential evolutionary origins of this behavior shed light on the existence of self-medication in our closest relatives and provide insights into the broader concept of wound medication among great apes. While further research is needed to understand this behavior fully, it highlights the importance of studying animal behaviors in order to gain new insights into human biology and evolution.