Chimps use medicinal plants to treat each other's wounds
Should you trip over and cut your knee while hiking through a Ugandan forest, the best place to turn for first aid and medical treatment might be the local chimpanzees.
Scientists have found that chimps in Budongo Forest can identify leaves with medicinal properties, using them not only to treat their own injuries but also to tend the wounds of others.
The chimpanzees were observed treating wounds using leaves from plants from the Acalypha family as well as from a plant called Alchornea floribunda, known as niando, and from Pseudospondias microcarpa, known as the African grape tree. Often they chew the leaves before applying them.
• Chimps sharing boozy fruit may point to the origins of pub culture
According to the study, published
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