# Elephants self-medicate using 35 medicinal plants, study reveals Kenyan elephants use forest plants as natural pharmacies, offering insights for human medicine. - **Source:** [BBC News](https://brifing.si/source/647b890e-c85e-45b8-9588-ccfecdec4a99) - **Published:** 2026-09-24 - **Topic:** [Business](https://brifing.si/c/business) - **Original article:** - **On Brifing:** https://brifing.si/s/1863a312-3600-4fb3-9665-3f5d4592b109 ## Elephants' medicinal plant repertoire A study in Kenya's Mount Elgon region documented elephants using 35 different plant species for medicinal purposes, with 25 having known local therapeutic uses. Researchers collaborated with wildlife scouts and community elders to identify these plants through observational accounts. The elephants exhibit selective behavior, choosing specific plants when unwell and even administering them to calves. This systematic plant use suggests sophisticated self-medication practices comparable to human ethnomedical traditions. ## Cross-species medical behaviors Elephant mothers were observed processing medicinal plants by chewing leaves and roots into a paste, sometimes mixing it with milk before feeding it to calves. One notable example involves Angurweet, a plant used locally for stomach ailments. Wildlife scouts described mothers meticulously preparing this remedy for their young. While these behaviors suggest intentional treatment, primatologist Michael Huffman cautions that further evidence is needed to confirm true medical provisioning beyond general self-medication. ## Historical context of animal self-care The earliest recorded observation of elephant self-medication dates to the 3rd century AD, when Roman author Claudius Aelian documented a wounded elephant consuming olive flowers and oil. Modern science has since documented self-medication across species from insects to primates. This study expands our understanding of how long-standing these behaviors are in evolutionary terms, suggesting they may represent ancient survival strategies preserved across millennia. ## Scientific validation process Researchers equipped local experts with cameras to document elephant plant use systematically. They're analyzing whether plant selection correlates with specific health conditions and testing plants for bioactive compounds. Dr. Fabien Schultz describes local knowledge as providing a 'map' for this scientific investigation. The team aims to verify whether elephant-selected plants indeed possess medicinal properties that could inform human pharmacology. ## Habitat loss implications Dr. Elodie Freymann highlights how forest destruction may deprive species of essential medicinal resources. The Mount Elgon elephants' specialized salt-mining behavior and now documented plant use demonstrate ecosystem interdependencies. As these 'natural pharmacies' disappear, so too might undiscovered medicinal compounds and the behaviors that led animals to them—potentially affecting both wildlife health and human medical discovery. ## Comparative zoopharmacognosy The study contributes to growing evidence of animal self-medication (zoopharmacognosy) across species. Professor Huffman notes that behaviors observed in elephants parallel findings in creatures from mosquitoes to great apes. Each discovery refines our understanding of evolutionary medicine, suggesting that observational learning of animal medicinal practices may have shaped early human healthcare before formal medical systems developed. ## Biomedical discovery potential Many human medicines originate from natural compounds—aspirin from willow bark, taxol from yew trees. The elephants' 35-plant pharmacopeia represents a new research frontier. Dr. Freymann emphasizes that protecting these ecosystems preserves potential 'medicine factories.' The study demonstrates how indigenous knowledge combined with wildlife observation can guide discovery of novel bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical applications. ## Conservation-medicine intersection This research underscores the interconnected value of biodiversity conservation and medical science. The elephants' behaviors suggest that ecosystems serve as living libraries of medicinal knowledge developed through evolutionary time. Protecting habitats becomes not just an ecological imperative but a medical one, preserving potential treatments for both wildlife and humans that modern science has yet to discover or understand fully. ## Sources covering this story - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cv1j4yr6j2p0o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss — --- _Summary written by Brifing from the original reporting. Copyright in the original article belongs to its publisher; read the full piece at the link above._